Bloomberg offers US$45 million in grants for city innovation

Bloomberg Philanthropies has set aside US$45 million to send innovation delivery teams to mayors’ offices across the US to assist in innovation and urban improvement.

The innovation delivery teams will serve as in-house innovation consultancies, paid for by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to help mayors increase innovation in their approach to city problems, through the foundation’s own innovation delivery model. The initiative has been piloted in five cities over the last three years, including Chicago, Atlanta and New Orleans, where a data-driven approach was key in improving restaurant licensing efficiency, assisting the homeless, and reducing murder rates respectively.

“No matter where they are, city governments face similar barriers to innovation: aversion to risk, organisational and funding silos, lack of bandwidth, just to name a few,” James Anderson, Director of Government Innovations, Bloomberg Philanthropies, told Cities Today. “This model helps mayors overcome these barriers and bring powerful new approaches to life.”

The foundation has invited 82 eligible US cities to apply for the grants that range from US$250,000 to US$1 million annually over three years, as well as implementation support and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.

“Cities everywhere are challenged to make ends meet, and many of them are turning to innovation to produce a bigger bang for the existing buck,” Anderson said. “It’s not a coincidence that mayors are hiring innovation directors, partnering with Code for America and others and engaging citizens and social entrepreneurs more strategically.”

In each of the first five pilot cities, the mayors have taken steps to dedicate funds to pay for the teams to continue after the grants concluded.

“Memphis has matched or found supplemental funding to support the initiatives developed by the innovation delivery teams,” he added. “In a time of fiscal constraint that commitment underscores the value of the innovation teams to city governments.”

Applications close on 6 October with the new grantees to be announced before the beginning of 2015.