By collaborating with Rheaply, Citi turns excess resources from office and retail refreshes into 7-figure donations.
Citi’s Corporate Real Estate and Sustainability teams have collaborated with Rheaply since 2023 to donate thousands of surplus office supplies across 15 office locations in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, California, Georgia, and Florida into. By working with Rheaply, also a Citi Impact Fund portfolio company, they are helping build more efficient operations through smarter reuse of existing assets to deliver real value for communities and organizations.
Citi recognized that there had to be a more thoughtful way to handle excess resources from their retail refreshes and decommission projects. With community impact top of mind, they selected Rheaply to source as many opportunities as possible to keep assets in use locally while staying within important project deadlines. This case study demonstrates how Citi turned standard decommissions into a model of operational efficiency and community investment.
Total weight diverted
Total items donated
Total value donated
Embodied carbon avoided
Office locations
Recipient organizations
Key projects
Project #1: Sustainable Decommission of Citi JAX
The Citi Jacksonville Sustainable Decommission Project was a comprehensive effort to responsibly decommission an office facility while maximizing environmental and social benefits.
Spanning late 2024 into early 2025, the project involved clearing out a 144,000 sq. ft. Citi office building in Jacksonville, FL, and redistributing its furniture and equipment to local organizations:
Hope at Hand | This nonprofit serving at-risk youth integrated donated tables and easels into its art and poetry therapy programs, enhancing the space for healing and creative expression.
Sanctuary on 8th Street | A community center offering after-school programs for underserved youth, Sanctuary on 8th Street received desks, chairs, storage, and lounge furniture that upgraded classrooms and common areas.
Pace Center for Girls – Clay County | Pace used the donated chairs, tables, and storage units to create inviting learning and counseling spaces, reinforcing a supportive educational environment for at-risk teenage girls.
Edward Waters University (EWU) | Florida’s oldest HBCU modernized its classrooms and administrative areas using 115 donated items, including ergonomic chairs and whiteboards, directly benefiting students and faculty.
Keiser University—Jacksonville & Daytona | Keiser’s two campuses accepted the largest donation share (nearly 390 items), outfitting labs, student spaces, and offices with Steelcase chairs, Teknion workstations, and accessories. The transfer demonstrated the regional scalability of reuse.
KIPP Jacksonville Public Schools | KIPP equipped classrooms and offices with student chairs, whiteboards, and filing cabinets, enabling school growth without diverting budget from instructional needs.
Leveraging Rheaply’s field services team, Citi orchestrated a large-scale donation program that placed these items into schools, nonprofits, and community centers.
Key outcomes of the Jacksonville decommission include: over 32,000 pounds of furniture and equipment diverted from landfill, an estimated 52 metric tons of CO, emissions avoided, and approximately $293,000 of in-kind value delivered to seven nonprofit and educational recipients. Over 600 items — from desks and ergonomic chairs to whiteboards and workstations — were successfully transferred to new owners who needed them. Donation recipients ranged from a local art therapy nonprofit to public charter schools and universities, all of which have been strengthened by the infusion of quality resources.
Donation Recipients and Value Chain Stories
Rather than treating used office furniture as waste, Citi’s Jacksonville decommission redirected assets to seven northeast Florida nonprofit organizations, supporting missions across youth development, education, and mental health.
“These donations are having a direct and positive impact on our learning environment and student-facing spaces. We truly value this partnership and the opportunity to extend the life of quality furnishings in support of our educational mission.”
Project #2: Next Life Commissioning of Citi Overlook, Atlanta
Citi’s Corporate Real Estate team set three goals for the Next Life Commissioning project for the retail refresh of Citi Overlook in Atlanta:
Establish the most impact possible through community‑driven distribution so surplus resources land where they generate the greatest social value.
Work with a provider with years of experience, rigorous project management and a proven track record of delivering on Fortune 100 timelines without burdening internal staff.
Vacate the space in a tight seven-day window while achieving 100% landfill diversion.
Through the Rheaply team’s intensive outreach effort, we identified DeKalb County School District as the best recipient for Citi’s decommissioned furniture.
The impact
Weight diverted from landfill
All assets reused
Embodied carbon avoided
Because Citi worked with Rheaply, 100% of its “stuff” was diverted from landfill and donated to the DeKalb County School District. That’s a donation value of $758,950!
Filing cabinets
Chairs
Tables
Desks
All of which were disassembled, loaded, and transported to the recipient’s warehouse!
Citi Impact Fund’s Investment in Rheaply
In 2022, the Citi Impact Fund made its first investment in Rheaply. This investment later led to the opportunity for Rheaply to connect with Citi on decommission projects. The Fund was drawn to the company’s innovative and sustainable approach to addressing waste management challenges, particularly its ability to unlock the value of underutilized assets through reuse and donation.
The investment reflects the Citi Impact Fund’s commitment to “double-bottom line” equity investments into U.S.-based companies that are developing innovative solutions to address pressing community challenges.
“Investing in Rheaply provides an exciting opportunity to advance sustainability, starting right here in our offices. Their innovative approach transforms office assets into opportunities for reuse and community support, creating a ripple effect of positive impact.”
by Jenn Kloc 
by Derek Doeing 