- Catalytic funding and access to a global learning community, network to bolster effort
- Over two years, while recipients will have access to a learning community of fellow grantees
The Citi Foundation announced last month, the 50 community organizations around the world that will each receive US$500,000 in grant support as part of its 2025 Global Innovation Challenge with Malaysia’s Biji-biji Initiative selected.
With this support, the 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.
The US$25 million in grant support 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.
In Malaysia, Biji-biji will be working to implement a skills training and job placement program that prepares low-income Malaysian youth for higher-income sales careers, fostering economic mobility and serving as a model for youth development programs across Malaysia, to help young people adapt to rapidly changing economies and a job market that looks different than it has for generations before.
Despite recent progress, the International Labour Organization estimated that in 2023 about 65 million young people globally were unemployed (youth between ages 15-24 in the work force without work but available for work), placing a substantial burden on public resources, increasing poverty and stifling growth, presenting a critical challenge to global economic progress. In Malaysia, as per Department of Statistics Malaysia’s Labour Force Statistics, youth unemployment among those aged 15-24 was at 10.2 per cent, or 297,500 unemployed youth in June 2025.
“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 (pic), Head of Enterprise Services and Public Affairs at Citi. “I look forward to seeing the work of our grantees in action as we work together to help close the job-skills mismatch.”
“Many young Malaysians from underserved backgrounds find their dreams capped by circumstance, trapped in low-income jobs. Through this partnership with the Citi Foundation, we’re piloting a new approach, testing how sales and digital skills can position them for higher-income, performance-driven careers that can change life trajectories. The NextGen Sellers program is a structured six-month training and job placement initiative, combining financial literacy, English language support, and AI-enhanced sales techniques,” said Ambika Sangaran, Partner at Biji-biji Initiative.
Vikram Singh, Citi Malaysia CEO was delighted that a Malaysian non-governmental organization was selected. “This is a powerful partnership that reinforces our deep commitment to fostering economic progress and tackling youth unemployment head-on in Malaysia. Through the Biji-biji Initiative, we are directly enabling individual economic and social mobility for low-income youth. By building a future-ready workforce, we are driving the sustainable growth of Malaysia’s economy.”
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.
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.
