Philstar.com
October 29, 2025 | 1:52pm
MANILA, Philippines — The Citi Foundation (the “Foundation”) has announced the 50 community organizations around the world that will each receive 500,000 USD in grant support as part of its 2025 Global Innovation Challenge.
With this support, the selected organizations will help advance innovative employment solutions for low-income youth, building on Citi and the Citi Foundation’s longstanding commitment to young people and their economic futures.
In the Philippines, World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. has been selected as a grantee. They will be working locally to introduce out-of-school and low-income youth to the green job economy, providing essential employment and entrepreneurial skills through a comprehensive career readiness and enterprise startup program.
This initiative aims to equip young Filipinos with the skills needed for future-proof careers in a rapidly evolving job market.
Youth unemployment is an ongoing and pervasive issue. Despite recent progress, the International Labour Organization estimates that 65 million young people globally are unemployed — which places a substantial burden on public resources, increases poverty and stifles growth, presenting a critical challenge to global economic progress.
In the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics Authority has said that youth unemployment contributed 43% to the total jobless individuals annually.
“As young people today continue to navigate significant barriers to employment, empowering this next generation with relevant skills and meaningful opportunities is critical,” said Edward Skyler, head of enterprise services and public affairs at Citi. “Citi and the Citi Foundation have an established track record of investing in our youth to help them access job opportunities and unlock economic growth more broadly. I look forward to seeing the work of our grantees in action as we work together to help close the job-skills mismatch.”
“We are immensely proud that World Vision Development Foundation, Inc., a Philippine organization, is among the global recipients of the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge grant,” said Citi Philippines CEO and Banking Head Paul Favila. “We extend our warmest congratulations to the team and look forward to the culmination of their work, which exemplifies our shared commitment to fostering economic opportunities and driving sustainable growth for the next generation in the Philippines.”
“The ECO-YOUTH program is more than just training; it’s a launchpad for the next generation of Filipino innovators and protectors of the environment,” said Herbert Carpio, national director of World Vision Development, Inc. “With support from Citi Foundation, we’ll empower vulnerable youth to lead the charge in the Philippines’ transition to being a green economy. By equipping them with skills for green jobs, we are ensuring they have a secure future while helping build a more resilient and sustainable nation. This initiative plants seeds of both hope and real, impactful change. Thank you Citi Foundation for the Global Innovation Challenge grant awarded to World Vision Development Foundation.”
Young people face many obstacles in their pursuit of employment, but skills mismatch continues to be a particular area of concern. The World Economic Forum reports that 63% of employers identify this as a major barrier to securing a job, and 39% of current skill sets are expected to be outdated within the next five years.
In addition, post-pandemic recovery for youth has been uneven — especially in emerging markets — and the acceleration of digital transformation is rapidly reshaping job opportunities. Projections indicate that 60% of employers anticipate broadening digital access, transforming their businesses by 2030, creating high demand for new skills in areas such as AI.
The 25 million USD in grant support from the Citi Foundation will enable these community organizations, which were selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, to pilot and scale employment solutions for low-income youth.
The grants will support a variety of programs, such as upskilling for digital literacy (including AI), technical and vocational training, work-based learning, career guidance and resources for entrepreneurs and mentorship. These impactful solutions are designed to help young people adapt to rapidly changing economies and a job market that looks different than it has for generations before.
Programs funded by these grants will be implemented over two years and recipients will have access to a learning community of fellow grantees that facilitates opportunities to build deeper connections, share lessons learned and exchange best practices.
For more information, including the complete list of grant recipients, please visit www.citifoundation.com/challenge and follow the impact these organizations are making at #InnovationChallenge on social media.
Editor’s Note: This press release from Citi Foundation is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.