- Person
- Michael Bloomberg
- Lived
- b. 1942
- Field
- Financial data & media
- From
- American
The story
Michael Bloomberg served three terms as mayor of New York City, from 2002 to 2013, and became known for a data-driven, managerial style of government. After leaving office he turned his attention to helping other cities, through the government innovation programme of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Its early grants had already paid for Financial Empowerment Centers, which offer free financial counselling to low-income residents, and Innovation Delivery Teams that help city halls streamline their work.
In 2013 he launched the Mayors Challenge, a competition that rewards innovative proposals from city halls. It later expanded to Europe and to Latin America and the Caribbean, with grand prizes of 5 million dollars or 5 million euros. Winners have included Providence, Rhode Island, for a plan to close a language gap among low-income children, Barcelona for improving the lives of elderly residents, and São Paulo for connecting farmers to urban markets. In 2018 nine American cities each won 1 million dollars for projects tackling homelessness, climate change and the opioid crisis. The 2025 to 2026 round, the largest so far, awarded 1 million dollars each to 24 cities in 20 countries for ideas using artificial intelligence, data and residents' views to redesign frontline services.
In 2016 Bloomberg gave Harvard 32 million dollars to create the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, based at the Harvard Kennedy School, in which Harvard faculty teach mayors and their senior aides. Time magazine called him the nation's mayoral tutor. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic the initiative convened weekly calls among mayors, public health officials and other local leaders. Its tenth class of mayors met in July 2026, by which point nearly 450 mayors had taken part. In 2021 he gave a further 150 million dollars to create the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard.
Other programmes followed, including What Works Cities, which helps mid-sized American cities use data to make decisions, and the Local Infrastructure Hub, which helps small towns apply for federal infrastructure grants.
Together these efforts treat city government as a craft that can be taught and improved, and they help good ideas spread from one city hall to another.
Why it matters
Bloomberg's programmes spread practical solutions between cities and help local leaders deliver better services to their residents.
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 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.
- Bloomberg gave over a billion dollars to fight tobaccoMichael Bloomberg’s foundation has committed more than $1.6 billion since 2007 to reduce tobacco use, making it the developing world’s biggest funder of tobacco control.
- 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
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.