The Citi Foundation announced the first-ever Global Innovation Challenge to help scale the impact of nonprofits around the world developing innovative solutions to improve food security. This first challenge will provide a total of $25 million to 50 organizations to support piloting or scaling up ideas and projects designed to address this issue and strengthen physical and financial health. of low-income families and communities.

With 770 million people undernourished worldwide, food insecurity is one of the major global crises today. A recent study by Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions (GPS) found that the estimated impact of malnutrition on the global economy could be as high as $3.5 trillion per year – or almost $500. for every person on the planet – due to record-high food prices. and other macroeconomic factors have led to civil unrest, global displacement, etc.

“Far too many families around the world face the daily struggle of not knowing when and where their next meal will come from,”

“We understand the economic factors that contribute to this ever-growing crisis, and our goal with this RFP is to help empower diverse, mission-driven nonprofits that are pioneering game-changing, scalable solutions in their communities.”

Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing and Development.

For this RFP, the Citi Foundation will prioritize projects in four areas:

• Access: Support efforts that increase access to affordable and healthy food in low-income communities.
• Affordability: Improve food affordability through community finance efforts that help reduce the financial burden placed on low-income communities.
• Availability: Address challenges in the food supply chain that lead to positive community benefits, such as the creation of new jobs and businesses.
• Resilience: Increase the number of available resources that enable low-income communities to more effectively prepare for and respond to disruptions in food security during crises.

“The food security crisis is one of the most urgent issues our world is facing today,”

“Having proudly partnered with Citi for over 10 years, we have seen first-hand the positive impact the Citi Foundation has had in helping lift underserved communities out of poverty. This global initiative is going to provide much-needed funding to industrious organizations working to combat food scarcity with the innovative solutions we desperately need.”

Liza Henshaw, President, Global Citizen.

The first Global Innovation Challenge builds upon Citi and the Foundation’s history of support of addressing food security:

• Citi and Citi Foundation’s support has helped No Kid Hungry provide 300 million meals for kids facing hunger since 2014.
• Citi volunteers have packed over 1.7 million meals on behalf of U.S. Hunger since 2017.
• In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, the Foundation supported the Global FoodBanking Network’s COVID-19 relief efforts across Central and South America.
• In Asia, the Foundation’s support for Think City in 2020 helped them partner with four community organizations in Malaysia to ensure vulnerable populations received food and medical supplies.
• Most recently in Europe, financial support from the Foundation helped Crown Agents International Development purchase and deliver nutritional support for premature infants in Ukraine amidst the conflict.

The deadline to register is March 22, 2023, at 4 p.m. EDT.