YWCA South Florida Is Citi Foundation’s Community Progress Makers Recipients

 

CITI FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES YWCA SOUTH FLORIDA IS RECIPIENT OF COMMUNITY PROGRESS MAKERS INITIATIVE

We are excited to announce today that YWCA South Florida is a recipient of the Citi Foundation’s Community Progress Makers initiative. Our organization is one of 50 nonprofits in six cities across the United States—Miami, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco Bay Area—to receive unrestricted grants of $500,000 along with access to technical assistance and a supportive learning community from 2022-2023. The collective $25 million initiative is designed to empower community leaders to achieve transformative impact through flexible, trust-based funding.

“YWCA South Florida is honored to work alongside other leading community organizations to advance racial equity in the United States as part of this next phase of Community Progress Makers,” said Kerry-Ann Royes, president and CEO of YWCA South Florida. “Citi Foundation’s trust-based philanthropy is game-changing. It gives us the freedom and resources we need to pursue our vision to expand economic prosperity for all families in South Florida.” 

The Community Progress Makers initiative, first launched in 2015, connects low-income communities and communities of color to greater social and economic opportunities.

Earlier this year, the Citi Foundation announced a $25 million expansion of the initiative as part of Citi and the Citi Foundation’s Action for Racial Equity, which has already invested $1 billion in strategic funding to help close the racial wealth gap in the United States. 

With their respective grants, the 50 Community Progress Makers will work to expand affordable housing and access, environmental sustainability, economic development, financial health and wellness, and workforce readiness and high-quality jobs. The Foundation will provide a supportive community network through which these organizations can connect to learn from each other, share best practices and strengthen their roles as social change agents. The Citi Foundation has engaged longtime grantee Urban Institute to provide technical assistance to the cohort, helping to measure their impact and track their progress. 

“We’re looking forward to our continued work with the Citi Foundation and the newest cohort of Community Progress Makers that are striving to facilitate positive change in communities across the country,” said Sarah Rosen Wartell, president of the Urban Institute. “This collaboration has proved to be a powerful tool for many community organizations, and supporting a diverse group of grantees with technical assistance and data-building capacities will have a real impact in building stronger and more inclusive communities.”

The YWCA South Florida is a leading voice for all racial equity issues in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. We generate impact through the organization’s program pillars: economic empowerment, family wellness, early childhood, youth development, human rights, and community engagement. We are excited about the opportunity to expand our Economic Prosperity programs, such as job training, financial literacy, salary negotiation, and leadership development, serving hundreds of women in South Florida because of this grant. Committed to shaping an inspiring tomorrow, we are driven by a future where every woman is seen as she truly is: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.