Management Leadership for Tomorrow selected as a Recipient of Citi Foundation 2025 Global Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Youth Employability

Bethesda, MD – Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) joins a cohort of 50 community organizations around the world, receiving $500,000 USD to accelerate youth employability through the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge.

MLT’s Ascend Career Accelerator is an innovative coaching program for low-income and first-generation students seeking support in navigating the critical college-to-career pathway. This grant support will help us continue to fund the Ascend program, allowing these scholars to explore and develop their strengths, passions, and interests in order to plan for and pursue successful professional careers.

The Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge provides catalytic funding to support community organizations around the world to develop and launch innovative employment solutions for young people.

“We’re honored to partner with the Citi Foundation through its Global Innovation Challenge. This investment fuels MLT’s work to equip more young professionals with the tools and connections needed to thrive in their careers,” said Cristal Baron, MLT’s Chief Advancement Officer. She also added, “Together, we’re shaping a more equitable future of work and unlocking pathways to lasting economic mobility.”

As a grantee, MLT will also have access to a learning community and global network of community organizations working to address this pressing issue. For more information on the Citi Foundation’s Global Innovation Challenge, please visit www.citifoundation.com/challenge.

MLT is a national nonprofit committed to expanding economic opportunities and building a more inclusive economy. For over 20 years, MLT has provided ambitious and hard-working young people with a proven playbook for economic mobility and has partnered with the world’s leading employers to help them recruit the best talent from all backgrounds, develop their next generation of leaders, and create cultures of fairness where all employees can thrive. Learn more at mlt.org.