Community Lodgings Selected by Citi Foundation to Receive $1M Grant

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Shelli Vasser Gilliam, Development Director

svgilliam@community-lodgings.org | 703-749-4407

Community Lodgings Selected by Citi Foundation to Receive $1M in Transformative Community Progress Makers Grant to Support Underserved Families

ALEXANDRIA, VA---May 16, 2024 - Citi Foundation announced the 50 U.S. nonprofits in the latest cohort of its Community Progress Makers (CPM) initiative, set to receive $1M each in unrestricted grant support. The CPM initiative supports visionary organizations that are working to connect low-income communities to greater economic opportunity.

Community Lodgings is part of the current Cohort #4 of this extraordinary investment and collaboration, which will directly impact the lives of hardworking, economically, and educationally marginalized families and children in Alexandria, VA.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors and staff, we are excited to enter this transformational partnership. Citi Foundation’s acknowledgment of our work with the CPM grant reassures us that our commitment to providing safe Transitional Housing, permanent Affordable Housing, and Youth Education Programs in the Arlandria-Chirilagua community is recognized as a sustainable model for the future”, said Lynn Thomas, Executive Director, Community Lodging.

Ms. Thomas continued by sharing, “As a direct-service nonprofit, the tangible impact of our work is experienced every day as we provide housing, education, and address food insecurity. Our programs, supportive services, and the measurable resources we share with families strengthen and lift economically disadvantaged families and shift their financial position from economic instability to independence. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of Community Lodgings’ families are working at least one
job - and many have two, possibly three - yet they cannot afford basic necessities such as housing and food.”

Participation in the CPM initiative is a three-year commitment as organizations work collaboratively to address complex issues regionally and nationally. “In listening to our nonprofit grantees over the years about what’s really going to make a difference for them, we doubled down on our funding support and the amount of time we’re dedicating to working with these organizations in an effort to scale their impact,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing & Development. “Through funding, collaboration and technical assistance, we’re helping accelerate the innovation of visionary nonprofits with the hope of generating solutions that will drive lasting change for low-income communities.”

About Community Lodgings
Founded in 1987, Community Lodgings’ mission is to lift families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency through Transitional Housing, Affordable Housing, and Youth Education Programs. Learn more on www.communitylodgings.org, Facebook, Instagram, or X.

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