Affordable Housing Grants for Nonprofits

Philanthropic Focus

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation.

We focus our resources on partners working in the following three focus areas:

Youth Economic Opportunities

The Citi Foundation supports efforts that help boost the employability of low-income young people around the world. In particular, we seek to increase the number of low-income youth, primarily aged 16-24, who become employed or start an income-generating business through leadership and skills training, experiential learning, and access to professional networks. Further, we believe that consistent and meaningful engagement of young people in the design and execution of programs that are intended to benefit them can help ensure that those programs are addressing their priorities and aspirations and improving their economic prospects.

Financial Inclusion

The Citi Foundation supports efforts to develop a more inclusive financial system that provides greater access to financial products, services and capital to low-income communities and individuals. Access to capital and financial products empowers adults and young people to build financial assets, enables entrepreneurs to grow or launch businesses that create jobs, and helps community-based organizations strengthen and transform communities. However, we believe access to capital and products alone is not enough. Financial capability—the ability to establish financial plans and develop strategies for preserving a strong financial position during times of both economic prosperity and instability—is critical to the financial well-being and upward economic mobility of individuals and communities.

Community Solutions

The Citi Foundation supports efforts that break down silos and bring stakeholders together to develop and scale solutions to the most pressing challenges confronting low-income communities. By strengthening nonprofit organizations and building partnerships and networks, we seek to transform communities into sustainable and thriving epicenters of economic opportunity. We support collaborations among stakeholders such as local government, community-based organizations and residents, the private sector, and research institutions and invest in efforts that spur innovation in key areas, including affordable housing, environmental sustainability, job training and small business development.

Fund for Community Good

With our Fund for Community Good (unrestricted) and field of interest fund assets, we seek out and respond to requests for resources from partners who share our commitment to becoming actively anti-racist.

Systemic and institutional racism is present in every issue our community faces. Thanks to the generosity of donor partners, we continue to provide financial support across a broad spectrum including education, the environment, health, the arts and social engagement, neighborhoods and economic prosperity.

In all instances, we continuously assess how we work and with whom we partner, in order to dismantle barriers to equity and justice.

Funding Priorities

Education

We strive for equitable educational attainment when race, ethnicity, and first generation status are not predictive of post-secondary enrollment, persistence, and degree or credential attainment.

Health

We invest in culturally effective solutions that lead to equitable health outcomes and well-being.

Neighborhoods

We seek to create greater access to housing prosperity for all who call Kent County home. We invest in the production and preservation of equitable, stable, quality, affordable housing in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

Arts + Culture Engagement

We invest in opportunities that seek to sustain arts and cultural opportunities to advance equity and are led by or primarily reach communities of color. We also invest in leaders and networks that inspire, grow and connect movements aimed at advancing equity.

Economic Prosperity

We invest in workforce development that results in sustainable, living wage jobs with competitive benefits. We also seek to increase access to capital and opportunities for historically under-resourced entrepreneurs.

Environment

We invest in efforts led by those most affected by environmental injustice and that ensure equitable environmental benefit.

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

The Challenge

Good health is the foundation of a thriving community. Yet not everyone in America is afforded the opportunity to achieve their optimal level of health, due to systems, policies, and practices grounded in racism that create and perpetuate inequities.

BUILD seeks to support communities in their efforts to advance health equity—to ensure that no one is disadvantaged from achieving their full health potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.

The Award

With a specific focus on strengthening cross-sector and community-driven partnerships, BUILD awards are designed to support collaborations ready to put Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, Data-Driven plans into action. Organizations jointly applying for a BUILD award should have a strong track record of working together; have developed their joint priorities and implementation plans with strong levels of community engagement and leadership; and be primed to advance equitable systems-level changes in their community.

For this fourth cohort, BUILD is looking to support up to 19 innovative community collaboratives that include a: 1) community-based organization, 2) hospital/health system and/or health plan, 3) public health department, and 4) residents, who are all working together in dynamic ways to address upstream challenges and drive sustainable improvements in community health. Inclusion of additional cross-sector partners such as businesses, universities, foundations, and others that are aligned with proposed efforts are encouraged.

Each award will include:

• Up to $300,000 in funding over three years
• A robust array of coaching and support services
• Specialized trainings and capacity building opportunities
• Participation in a national network of peers engaged in similar work
• Opportunity to spotlight your local work on a national level

About The BUILD Health Challenge Awards

The BUILD Health Challenge’s mission is to contribute to the development of a new norm in the U.S.: one that puts multi-sector, community-driven partnerships at the center of health in order to reduce health disparities caused by systemic or social inequity.

With a specific focus on strengthening partnerships between community-based organizations, hospitals and health systems, local health departments, and others, The BUILD Health Challenge awards are designed to support collaborations ready to put Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, Data-Driven (see below descriptors) plans into action. Organizations jointly applying for The BUILD Health Challenge award should have a strong track record of working together; have developed their joint priorities and implementation plans with strong levels of community engagement and leadership; and be primed to advance equitable systems-level changes in their community.

This effort is grounded in the following principles and rooted in health equity:

• BOLD: Aspire toward a fundamental shift beyond short-term programmatic work to longer-term influences over policy, regulation, and systems-level change.
• UPSTREAM: Focus on the social, environmental, and economic factors that have the greatest influence on the health of your community and produce more equitable outcomes, rather than on access or care delivery.
• INTEGRATED: Align the practices and perspectives of communities, health systems, and public health under a shared vision, establishing new roles while continuing to draw upon the strengths and diversity of each partner.
• LOCAL: Engage neighborhood residents and community leaders as key voices and thought leaders throughout all stages of planning and implementation, with a particular focus on populations most affected by health disparities and inequities.
• DATA- DRIVEN: Use data from both clinical and community sources as a tool to: disaggregate data to identify inequities and understand areas of highest need, measure meaningful change, facilitate transparency among stakeholders, and generate actionable insights.

What Outcomes Are Expected? 

The BUILD Health Challenge aims to place multi-sector, community-driven partnerships at the center of promoting health equity. To do so requires a concerted effort to shift the systems that affect upstream, social determinants of health. We recognize that this type of change is a long-term proposition and nuanced, and it also requires a laser-like focus on this shift as a specific goal. Competitive projects should articulate how their activities will result in systems changes that will ultimately improve health outcomes. 

Good Neighbor Citizenship Company Grants

We make it our business to be like a good neighbor, helping to build safer, stronger and smarter communities across the United States. Through our company grants, we focus on three areas: safety, education, and community development.

The State Farm Companies Foundation and State Farm value inclusiveness and diversity. Therefore, charitable funding is intended to advance access, equity, and inclusiveness while discouraging harmful discrimination based on age, political affiliation, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, or religious beliefs.

Nationally, we support communities through social investments and countrywide relationships. At a local level, our company grants focus on three areas: safety, education, and community development.

Safety Grants

State Farm values the importance of keeping our neighbors safe.

Our national and local funding is directed toward:

• Auto and roadway safety.
• Teen driver education.
• Home safety and fire prevention.
• Disaster preparedness.
• Disaster recovery.

Community Development

Strong neighborhoods are the foundation of a strong society. We're committed to maintaining the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support: affordable housing, first time homeowners, neighborhood revitalization, financial literacy, job training, and small business development. Through community outreach and community development grants and investments, State Farm gives back to the neighborhoods it serves and helps develop stronger neighborhoods by reinvesting in the community.

Our national and local funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing.
• Job training.
• Neighborhood revitalization.
• Small business development.
• First time homeownership.

Education Grants

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support: 

• Academic performance improvement programs that impact K-12 students.
• Education initiatives that more directly support underserved individuals (13 years and older), helping them enroll in post-secondary education and obtain the skills and credentials they need to be successful in today’s workforce.
• Service-learning programs that provide students opportunities to connect and apply learning skills from classroom to address unmet needs that exist in their community.
• Teacher development programs.
• Financial literacy.

AARP Community Challenge

The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. This year, applications will be accepted for projects to improve public spaces, housing, transportation and civic engagement; support diversity, equity and inclusion; build engagement for programs under new federal laws; and pursue innovative ideas that support people age 50 or older.

Project Categories

AARP will prioritize projects that support residents age 50 or over, are inclusive, address disparities, directly engage volunteers and aim to achieve one or more of the following outcome areas:

• Create vibrant Public Places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities
• Deliver a range of Transportation and Mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, access to transportation options and roadway improvements
• Support a range of Housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices
• Ensure a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion while improving the Built and Social Environment of a community
• Support communities’ efforts to Build Engagement and Leverage Funding available under new federal programs through laws including the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and more
• Increase Civic Engagement with innovative and tangible projects that bring residents and local leaders together to address challenges and facilitate a greater sense of inclusion
• Other community improvements, including Health Services, Community Development, and Coronavirus Pandemic Recovery

Project Types

AARP Community Challenge grants can be used to support:

• Permanent physical improvements in the community
• Temporary demonstrations that lead to long-term change
• New, innovative programming or services

Amount

Since 2017, our average grant amount is $11,500 and 76 percent of grants have been under $15,000. While AARP reserves the right to award compelling projects of any dollar amount, the largest grant ever awarded by the AARP Community Challenge was $50,000.