Citi Foundation Announces Recipients of 2024 Global Innovation Challenge, Granting a Collective $25 Million to 50 Community Organizations Advancing Solutions to Homelessness

The Citi Foundation recently announced 50 community organisations around the world as recipients of the 2024 Global Innovation Challenge’s collective $25 million grant to advancing solutions to homelessness. EPIC, an award-winning non-profit organisation with a primary focus on building secure homes for Orang Asli families became the first Malaysian NGO to receive USD500,000 grant (approximately RM2 million) for a two-year grant until 2026 in a bid to tackle the lack of safe housing amongst the Orang Asli community.

Many Orang Asli communities are transitioning to modern life, but a gap between traditional skills and modern job requirements have left many working long hours in low-wage jobs. As a result, they are unable to build homes using natural materials or afford modern housing, leading an estimated 10,000 families to live in unsafe or overcrowded conditions.

This grant support will help scale EPIC’s initiative to rapid build a housing model that is more environmentally and financially sustainable through the integration of bamboo as a construction material and empowering the Orang Asli communities through upskilling and capacity building.

As an international bank with vast and strong network, Citi Malaysia aims to be the bridge that connects EPIC with the right stakeholders to ensure their innovative solutions to this challenge extends greatly to communities in need.