2025 Global Innovation Challenge

Eligibility

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Applicant organizations must be registered as nonprofit entities under local law. For example, for U.S. entities, applicants need to be tax-exempt public charities as per Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. 
• Applicants must be able to submit their most recent externally audited financial statements, including auditor’s notes, covering some part of calendar year 2023 or a subsequent year.  
• Applicant’s proposed program must align with the Foundation’s mission of supporting low-income communities as defined by local standards and definitions.  
• Applicant’s proposed program must impact one or more of the target geographies (see Q1).

The Citi Foundation asks that nonprofit organizations eligible to apply submit only one application to the RFP. If you are interested in applying to this program, please contact Maryam Tahir (maryam.tahir@ucalgary.ca)

Summary

Since the Citi Foundation’s inception, advancing youth employability has been integral to our mission of supporting low-income communities globally. The Citi Foundation invested more than $300 million over the last decade alone in programs that supported over one million young people in expanding their skills, experience and networks through its Pathways to Progress initiative. Building on our funding journey, this year’s Global Innovation Challenge is focused on youth employability, and we invite proposals from community organizations developing innovative employment solutions for low-income youth primarily between the ages of 15 and 24.

These innovative solutions could include, but are not limited to: 

• Technical and vocational training programs that upskill or reskill low-income youth and move them into employment, which could include paid internships, apprenticeships or formal employment. 
• Entrepreneurship programming that specifically focuses on the incubation or scaling of youth-led enterprises to increase job creation and access to selfgenerated income. 
• Efforts to embed financial education programming into workforce development initiatives equipping low-income youth with financial skills and access to safe and affordable financials tools.

Application deadlines

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Registration Stage

Organizations must register to confirm they meet the eligibility requirements and gain access to the Citi Foundation's online grantmaking portal. Registrations may take up to three business days to process. The deadline to register to apply is 2pm Eastern Daylight Time on March 4, 2025.

Please contact Maryam Tahir(maryam.tahir@ucalgary.ca) if you are planning on submitting a registration. 

A RMS record is not required at registration stage.

Full Application Stage

Full applications, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) (https://research.ucalgary.ca/conduct-research/additional-resources/research-management-system-rms), will be required by RSO by noon on March 13, 2025.  Please be sure to select "Submitted for approvals" (Under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the Research Services deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines. .

Once your RMS record has been approved by Research Services, submit to the agency by their deadline on March 18, 2025