Dora Westerlund, CEO of Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, cuts the ribbon on the Downtown Business Hub in Fresno in this 2011 file photo.

The Citi Foundation announced nine nonprofits based in Northern California that have been selected as part of the fourth cohort of the Community Progress Makers initiative. Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation is among the nine nonprofits each receiving a $1 million grant.  

Community Progress Makers was first launched in 2015, providing unrestricted funding to visionary organizations that work locally to connect low-income communities to more significant economic opportunities. The Foundation has now committed $115 million in grants to Community Progress Makers since its inception. 

The current cohort of Community Progress Makers was selected through an open request for proposals (RFP) process announced this past fall. The process focused on organizations working in the areas of affordable housing and access, economic development, financial health, and workforce readiness. 

These are the community organizations selected for the fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers in Northern California:

•       ASIAN, Inc.
•       Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation
•       ICA Fund
•       Mission Asset Fund
•       MyPath
•       Northern California Land Trust
•       Opportunity Junction
•       Pacific Community Ventures
•       Rubicon Programs 
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“Unrestricted grant support is in high demand and low supply, and we have witnessed how transformational this type of funding can be for community organizations,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing & Development. “This is why we are pleased to support the innovative solutions and deep community work that the organizations in this fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers are leading in Northern California through flexible, trust-based funding.” 

All recipients will have access to a learning community where they can collaborate and share best practices with a network of Community Progress Makers across the country and receive technical assistance from national experts and leading researchers. 

Combining their local expertise and track record of community impact with a national network of resources and changemakers, these nonprofits are poised to accelerate their community-based work in Northern California.

 “These Northern California-based Community Progress Makers are working at the forefront of pressing local issues, from the workforce and economic development to housing and financial health,” said Philip Drury, Head of Global Technology and Communications Banking, Citi. “The flexible philanthropic capital that Citi Foundation is deploying will help these social innovators double down and find new ways to advance their work.”