- Person
- Michael Bloomberg
- Lived
- b. 1942
- Field
- Financial data & media
- From
- American
The story
Tobacco causes about one in ten deaths around the world, and most of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, which have become prime targets for tobacco industry marketing. As mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg made the city's workplaces, bars and restaurants smoke-free in 2003 and raised its cigarette tax. He then took the fight global through Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Working with the World Health Organization and partners such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the foundation's public health programme, led by the epidemiologist Kelly Henning, follows the MPOWER tobacco control strategy. Its grants aim at getting countries to track tobacco use, introduce strong tobacco-control laws and run mass media campaigns about the dangers of smoking. Major commitments included 125 million dollars in 2006, 250 million dollars in 2008 and 220 million dollars over four years from 2012. By 2013 it had made 556 grants in 61 countries.
With new commitments in December 2016, Bloomberg Philanthropies' total investment in reducing tobacco use reached 1 billion dollars, focused especially on low- and middle-income countries, making it the developing world's biggest funder of tobacco control. The Washington Post suggested that Bloomberg might be Big Tobacco's biggest enemy.
The work has kept growing. The foundation says it has now invested 1.6 billion dollars since 2007, and its tobacco initiative spans more than 110 low- and middle-income countries. With the Gates Foundation it set up the Anti-Tobacco Trade Litigation Fund in 2015 to help countries defend their tobacco laws against legal challenges from the industry, and in 2018 it launched an initiative to monitor and expose tobacco industry tactics. It has also joined the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a 160 million dollar campaign against youth vaping.
In 2025 Bloomberg announced a 20 million dollar Accelerator Fund to help countries where tobacco control has stalled. The initiative helps governments adopt measures proven to cut tobacco use: smoke-free public places, bans on tobacco advertising, higher tobacco taxes, graphic warnings on cigarette packs and public awareness campaigns.
Why it matters
Bloomberg's funding has helped dozens of countries strengthen tobacco-control laws and warn their citizens about the dangers of smoking.
About Michael Bloomberg
Fired from Wall Street in 1981, he built the Bloomberg Terminal and a global news empire, then served three terms as New York’s mayor and became one of the world’s largest philanthropists.
More about Michael Bloomberg
- Michael Bloomberg's plan created 160,000 affordable homesAs mayor, Michael Bloomberg increased funding for affordable housing through a plan that created and preserved an estimated 160,000 affordable homes in New York.
- Michael Bloomberg helps mayors govern betterThrough the Mayors Challenge and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, Michael Bloomberg has rewarded city innovation and trained hundreds of mayors.
- Michael Bloomberg made New York's workplaces smoke-freeIn 2003 Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned smoking in all New York City indoor workplaces, including bars and restaurants, and many cities and states followed.
- Michael Bloomberg helped protect children from drowningSince 2012 Bloomberg Philanthropies has funded drowning prevention in Bangladesh through childcare and swimming lessons; child drowning deaths fell by 80%.
- Michael Bloomberg helped close coal plants across AmericaIn 2011 Michael Bloomberg gave 50 million dollars to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, expanding its push to replace coal-fired power plants with clean energy.
- Michael Bloomberg backed America's Black medical schoolsMichael Bloomberg gave 100 million dollars in 2020 and 600 million dollars in 2024 to America's four historically Black medical schools.
- Michael Bloomberg made Johns Hopkins medical school freeIn 2024 Michael Bloomberg gave 1 billion dollars so that medical school at Johns Hopkins would be tuition-free for students from families earning under 300,000 dollars.
- Michael Bloomberg funds safer roads and polio eradicationBloomberg Philanthropies has committed $865 million to global road safety since 2007, partnering with the WHO from 2009, and has given $200 million to help eradicate polio.
Michael Bloomberg in the news
- September 24, 2026Bloomberg Philanthropies expands free school eye care to seven more US cities
- August 19, 2026Michael Bloomberg gives $155 million for a public science hall in Boston
- June 22, 2026Bloomberg commits about $590 million to oceans, clean energy and cleaner city air
- April 28, 2026Bloomberg pledges $350 million more to cut road deaths in 13 countries
- March 10, 2026Michael Bloomberg tops the Philanthropy 50 for a third year with $4.3 billion in gifts
- February 24, 2026Bloomberg Philanthropies awards $1 million each to 24 cities in Mayors Challenge
Sources
- Bloomberg Philanthropies Wikipedia
- Michael Bloomberg Wikipedia
- Reducing Tobacco Use Bloomberg Philanthropies
Another act of tikkun olam. This is part of tikkun olam, the Jewish idea of repairing the world, and every one of us can add to it.