Citigroup Foundation Awards Grants to Detroit Schools; Check for $6,000 to be Presented at Birney School on July 25 at 11:30AM.

Business Editors

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2002

As part of Citigroup's commitment to help educate the next generation, the Citigroup Foundation has awarded $9,000 in grants to Mary McLeod Bethune Academy and the Birney School in Detroit.

The grant awarded to Mary McLeod Bethune Academy, a Detroit neighborhood-based school with strong community involvement, will support the school's reading, writing and literature program. The grant awarded to the Birney School will help fund the school's "Art Start and Music" Summer Camp. A formal check presentation will be made by Citigroup's Patricia Byrne to Maria Stevenson and the children of Birney School, located at 4055 Richton Avenue, this Thursday, July 25, at 11:30AM.

Both of these grants strengthen Citigroup's support of education, which aims to enhance the quality of teaching, improve student achievement, increase access to higher education, and encourage students' creativity through arts and education programs.

"It is important that our children, Detroit's children, be exposed to elements of arts and culture that they would not traditionally have the opportunity to experience," said Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick in delivering the Birney School program a Proclamation from the City. "I salute the efforts and embrace them as part of the Mayor's Time Initiative under Kids, Cops, and Clean, which is the mantra for my administration."

"Enhancing educational opportunities will better prepare the next generation to achieve personal and professional success," said Patricia Byrne, vice president at the Citigroup Foundation. "We are thrilled to offer grants to these Detroit programs since arts education, specifically, encourages children to express themselves creatively and think critically. It can also instill an appreciation for different cultures and communities."

"We are committed to being a part of a consortium with the Detroit Public School, business organizations, community outlets, parent associations, and neighborhood organizations to help support our kids through art and music instead of drugs and violence," said Birney School principal Sandra Rall. "We thank Citigroup for their continued commitment because without their support this program would not be a reality."

Citigroup's member companies in the greater Detroit area include: Salomon Smith Barney, CitiMortgage, CitiFinancial, CitiStreet, and Travelers.

Citigroup (NYSE symbol: C), the preeminent global financial services company with some 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries, provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Salomon Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: building communities and entrepreneurs, financial education, and educating the next generation. Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com.