FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec 16, 2009

Funds to Support Corporation's United We Serve and Cities of Service Initiatives

Washington, DC - The Citi Foundation has made a $50,000 grant to the Corporation for National and Community Service to support the agency's efforts to engage Americans in service to address pressing local and national needs.

The funds will help the Corporation carry out the United We Serve initiative, President Obama's call to every American to make service a part of their daily lives, and specifically the agency's work with Cities of Service, a bipartisan coalition of mayors working to expand the scale and impact of volunteer service in their cities.

“The collaboration with Citi Foundation will help to significantly expand opportunities for Americans to serve and strengthen our civic infrastructure,” said Nicola Goren, the Corporation's Acting CEO. “These funds are critical as we work with mayors across the country to mobilize citizens to be solutions to community problems.”

The Corporation is collaborating with the Cities of Service coalition to develop strategies to engage citizens at the local level in service and find new ways to tap the power of volunteers to address each city's most pressing challenges. Founded in New York City on September 10, 2009, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have answered the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act's call to action. The mayors will lead a multi-year effort to engage other mayors from across the country to help match volunteers and established community partners to address areas of greatest local need.

“Citi is pleased to play a leadership role in supporting United We Serve which aligns with our ‘more than philanthropy' approach whereby Citi employees offer both traditional and skill-based volunteer efforts to non-profit organizations,” said Pam Flaherty, President and CEO Citi Foundation and Director of Citizenship at Citi. “Volunteerism is an important part of our community commitment and we are proud of our employees who pledge to help make a difference in communities all across America.”

Leaders from the Cities of Service coalition met in Philadelphia last week for a two-day planning session hosted by the Corporation and funded in part by the Citi Foundation grant. The “Building a Blueprint for Change” training brought together 120 city and nonprofit leaders to discuss how to use service as a strategy, empowering citizens to create solutions, measuring success, and participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

Members of the coalition are committed to developing a comprehensive service plan and strategy to engage volunteers to meet local needs, working to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results, recruiting other mayors to join, and ensuring the voice of cities is heard in service policy-making.

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The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment 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 on its priority focus areas: Microfinance and Microenterprise, Small and Growing Businesses, Education, and Financial Education and Asset Building. In the United States and Canada, the Citi Foundation also supports Community Development programs. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance and Microenterprise, Small and Growing Businesses, and Community Development to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at http://www.citifoundation.com/.

AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.