Citibank 2005 Annual Report Download - page 25

23 | Citigroup 2005
Citigroup’s total philanthropic giving
from our Foundation and our busi-
nesses combined reached more than
$126 million in 2005.
During the year, Citigroup’s businesses
also provided fi nancing and made other
investments totaling nearly $35 billion
to support low- and moderate-income
(LMI) families and communities in
the United States. To help ensure that
money is available to LMI families that
wish to purchase a home, Citigroup has
committed $200 billion for affordable
mortgage lending in the United States
through 2010. By the end of 2005, we
lent nearly $110 billion of the total.
In 2005, Citigroup was again reaf-
fi rmed as a component of the Dow
Jones Sustainability World Index, which
recognizes companies in the top 10
percent of environmental, social, and
economic performance. We also were
reaffi rmed on the FTSE4Good Index
for having met specifi c criteria relating
to environmental sustainability, corpo-
rate citizenship, shareholder returns, and
support of human rights.
FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Building on the commitment we made
in 2004 to invest $200 million over 10
years in support of fi nancial education,
in 2005 Citigroup awarded close to
$30 million in grants and sponsor-
ships around the world. Some of the
programs included “The Adventures of
Agent Penny and Will Power,” a new
campaign that reached nearly 50,000
children in Asia. In addition, our busi-
nesses funded such initiatives as Saber
Cuenta: Knowledge Counts, a national
collaborative project in Mexico among
Banamex, local government, and non-
With Citigroup’s extensive global presence comes the responsibility to make
a difference where we live and work.
Global Community
Non-Governmental/Non-Profit Organizations...MFIs...Individuals
“ Through the Citigroup Foundation’s
support of some $2.6 million since our
inception in 1997, Grameen Foundation
USA has provided hundreds of thou-
sands of impoverished families with
access to microfinance and innovative
technologies that accelerate their
ability to move out of poverty.”
governmental agencies that benefi ts
broad segments of the Mexican popu-
lation through employment programs,
entrepreneurship training, and fi nancial
education.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As one of the founding members
of the Equator Principles, Citigroup
strengthened its efforts to implement
the Principles uniformly by revis-
ing our risk policies and enhancing
our Environmental and Social Risk
Management training. The Equator
Principles are voluntary guidelines
based on World Bank and International
Finance Corporation policies to evaluate
environmental and social risks related to
fi nancing development projects.
Also in 2005, Citigroup’s Sustainable
Development Investment Private
Equity Program invested in Balrampur
Chini Mills, Ltd., to expand its manu-
facturing of ethanol as a fuel additive.
Citigroup also commited to reducing
its greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent
globally by 2011.
PHILANTHROPY & VOLUNTEERISM
As a leading private sector supporter of
microfi nance, the Citigroup Foundation
has provided nearly $27 million in fund-
ing to microfi nance institutions (MFIs)
and MFI networks globally over the past
fi ve years.
In 2005, we continued to support our
employees’ community volunteer efforts,
with many of them coming to help
communities hit by natural disasters—in
Pakistan, south Asia, the United States,
and Latin America. We committed more
than $30 million to disaster relief and to
rebuilding affected areas.
Our Chairman, Sandy Weill, was
among fi ve U.S. private sector leaders
asked to lead a massive effort to raise
resources to help those affected by
the earthquake that struck south Asia.
Citigroup, the Citigroup Foundation,
and our employees pledged up to
$7 million toward relief efforts and
provided volunteer support.
ALEX COUNTS, PRESIDENT & CEO, GRAMEEN FOUNDATION USA