Habitat for Humanity Receives $2 Million Grant from the Citigroup Foundation to Support the Jimmy Carter Work Project in India and to Help Build Homes across the U.S.

AMERICUS, Ga. -- 5,000 Citigroup Employees from around the World to Help Build 36 Homes with Families in Need

Citigroup today presented Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) with a $2 million grant from the Citigroup Foundation to support Habitat's 2006 Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP). JCWP focuses on providing quality affordable housing to families in need. This year JCWP will be held from Oct. 30-Nov. 3, in a village near Lonavala, near Mumbai, India. Portions of the grant will also be used to help build simple, decent and affordable homes in the United States.

Through its continuing "Citigroup Builds Communities" partnership with Habitat, Citigroup will engage more than 5,000 employees in volunteering their time to help build 10 homes in India for the Carter project and 26 homes in the United States.

The grant was presented to Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, at Habitat's annual symposium held in New York City, by Kevin Kessinger, Citigroup's Chief Operations & Technology Officer. Kessinger will join with senior Citigroup management in leading employee volunteers at Habitat's Jimmy Carter Work Project in India. These employee volunteers will come from around the world and from across the company's business units.

"We are pleased that the Citigroup Foundation has made this significant grant to Habitat for Humanity to strengthen their mission to foster homeownership, a mission that we, at Citigroup, share," said Kessinger, who is also a member of the Habitat for Humanity International board of directors. "The India build is a natural fit for us. We have been doing business in India for more than 100 years and have thousands of employees based there. This project and similar efforts throughout the United States are examples of how Citigroup makes a difference in the communities in which we live and work around the world."

This year, the JCWP will gather more than 2,000 local and international volunteers, including President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, to build 100 homes in one week in a village near Lonavala with local families. An additional 84 Habitat homes are scheduled to be built following the one-week blitz build. JCWP 2006 is the kick-off event for Habitat's five-year "India Builds" campaign. This campaign hopes to raise awareness of India's dire need for affordable housing and its population of 1.1 billion people, nearly a quarter of which live on less than US$1 a day.

"Citigroup has been a long-standing partner with Habitat for Humanity, having generously contributed to a number of Jimmy Carter Work Projects and many other efforts around the world," said Reckford. "We deeply appreciate the support and corporate leadership they continue to provide, and we're always eager to work with them in the neighborhoods where they live and operate."

This $2 million grant brings the total grants that the Citigroup Foundation has made to HFHI to more than $20 million. In addition, Citigroup has donated $5 million to support Habitat affiliates overseas. In 2000, the Citigroup Foundation made its first major grant to launch its "Citigroup Builds Communities" U.S. employee volunteer program. To date, this program has resulted in more than 20,000 Citigroup employees collectively volunteering 215,000 hours to help build more than 205 homes in more than 40 locations across the United States.

Also announced today, Banamex's Foundation, Fomento Social Banamex, together with the Alfredo Harp and the Pedro and Helena Hernandez Foundations are donating $2.2 million in grants to five nonprofit organizations involved in the reconstruction of New Orleans. Included among the grantees is Habitat for Humanity, which will receive a total of $300,000.

Citigroup also is the largest investor in HFHI's no-profit mortgage program for Habitat partner families. Citigroup has invested more than $16.8 million in this special mortgage program.

Citigroup has participated in previous Jimmy Carter Work Projects in Detroit, Mexico, New York City and Valdosta, Ga.

About Citigroup

Citigroup, a 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, Smith Barney and Banamex. The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in Americus, Ga., in 1976, Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses in nearly 100 countries, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1 million people. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.