CITI
Member since 2013
While Citi is a global bank, its mission is simple: To responsibly provide financial services that enable growth and economic progress, driving positive social impact in the communities they serve. In 2020, Citi announced its Action for Racial Equity initiative, a $1 billion plus initiative to help close the racial wealth gap and increase economic mobility in the U.S. and launched the Citi Impact Fund, a $200 million fund investing in companies addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges.
As one of our longest standing members, our work together has spanned many impact areas.
COLLABORATIONS
MOBILITY
Moving with Impact workshop at CoMotion Miami
We partnered with Citi to host an interactive session on creating a connected, safe, and accessible urban mobility ecosystem during CoMotion Miami 2022. The workshop brought together leading experts from diverse sectors to explore how to align innovative mobility solutions with public transportation offerings to create more efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation for all. Candace Hewitt, Vice President, Citi Impact Fund facilitated a lively discussion among Jeffrey Meyers, Director, Citi Impact Fund; Carlos Cruz Casas, Chief Innovation Officer at Miami-Dade County; Lilian Coral, Director/National Strategy and Technology Innovation at the Knight Foundation; John Ellis, President at Lacuna Technologies; Alex Esposito, Co-Founder of Circuit; and Meg Daly, CEO of Friends of The Underline. During the discussion, the panelists reflected on what is currently driving mobility adaptation and change, and heard strategies that are being employed to connect rural and suburban geographies with more transportation access. We also explored the role of capital in supporting innovation and the importance of public-private partnerships. A major theme that emerged from the conversation was that often as practitioners, we become hyper focused on a specific innovation, solution, or dataset. While data and individual solutions are a crucial piece of this puzzle, in order to solve real problems and improve our mobility systems in a meaningful way in the future, we need to stay grounded in the real impacts on our wider mobility and urban ecosystems.
“As the density of cities increase, there is huge demand for safe, sustainable transportation options. At the Citi Impact Fund, we invest in double bottom line companies that are pioneering innovative
solutions that will increase equitable access to urban mobility ecosystems for years to come.”
Jeffrey Meyers, Director, Citi Impact Fund
HOUSING
New Housing Solutions Citi was a lead partner on our 2020 New Housing Solutions event and follow-up editorial feature.
HOUSING
The editorial series Amplifying New Housing Solutions harnesses the creativity put forward at the event and adds pertinent voices to the debate, answering the following questions:
- What policies and programs do cities need to ensure a better housing match for contemporary lifestyles?
- How can we use new approaches to create affordable housing at scale, boost mixed income neighborhoods throughout cities, and build more equitable communities?
CONTRIBUTORS:
Richard Gerwitz, Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson, Annie Koo, Anthony Flint, Reed Marill, Daffney Moore, Rafi Rich & Michael C. Threatt.
INNOVATION
Good data is key to spurring equitable growth and promoting socio-economic vibrancy in cities. Still, cities face a myriad of challenges when it comes to collecting, monitoring, and showcasing specific needs through data that can lead to impactful place-based investment.
We sat down with Citi’s Valla Vakili, Managing Director and Global Head, Venture Innovation, to discuss the future of data and how cities can leverage it to maximize public good and promote health and equity post-COVID.
INFRASTRUCTURE
In early 2015, Citi was a lead partner on our Financing Urban Infrastructure Initiative to address critical infrastructure financing issues and challenges facing cities today.