Citi Earns Double Honors at U.S. Chamber Foundation’s 2013 Corporate Citizenship Awards
November 22, 2013 /3BL Media/ - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) has named Citi (NYSE: C) as the winner in two categories in the 2013 Corporate Citizenship Awards competition. Citi received the Best Partnership award, together with the National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC), for its work promoting college success in the United States, and also received the Best Economic Empowerment Program award for its efforts to invest in and advance entrepreneurship around the world. The winners of the 2013 Citizens Awards were announced on November 21 during a ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.
For the Best Partnership Award, more than 11,500 online votes were cast by the public, with Citi and NCTC coming out on top for Financial Aid U (FAU). Since 2008, Citi’s partnership with NCTC, with funding and leadership support from the Citi Foundation, has provided students with access to millions of dollars in federal and state grant and loan funding by assisting families in completing their tax returns and the highly correlated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Through these efforts, FAU has helped put more than 8,000 students on the path to earning a college degree.
Citi was also recognized for the Best Economic Empowerment Program for the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA), led and funded by the Citi Foundation. Since 2005, the CMAs have awarded more than 5,500 successful microentrepreneurs with resources and support to continue to grow, improve their enterprises and create more jobs. The program now operates in 35 countries and to date the Citi Foundation has committed $14.7 million to the CMAs.
“We are gratified by this recognition of our programs that have enabled thousands of low-income individuals to take the critical steps to realize their college dreams or provided them with support to sustain, grow, and improve their businesses,” said Pamela Flaherty, President and CEO of the Citi Foundation. “These programs both exemplify Citi’s commitment to advance economic progress in communities where we operate and our work with high-impact partners to expand financial inclusion.”
The BCLC’s Corporate Citizenship Awards honors excellence in corporate responsibility. BCLC founded the “Citizens” Awards in 2000. Year after year, Citizens Award winners epitomize the continued evolution of the corporate citizenship field, defining its movement from the periphery of business activity to the strategic alignment with the sector’s core. Companies and chambers of commerce from around the world compete for the Citizens, making them one of the most coveted opportunities in corporate citizenship.
“Citi’s double recognition last night highlights their incredible scale and impact around the world,” said U.S. Chamber Foundation’s BCLC Executive Director Marc DeCourcey. “Their work to empower students and communities will help generations to come.”
About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
About the Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of individuals and families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, Youth Education and Livelihoods, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Enterprise Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at www.citifoundation.com.
About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
