$60m programme launched for advanced city data innovation

Bloomberg Philanthropies has launched a new City Data Alliance programme to help cities that use advanced data-driven decision-making to take their work to the next level.

The initiative will identify 100 cities from across North and South America that are the most sophisticated at using data and provide them with executive education, direct-to-city coaching, and investment to improve a critical data capacity such as performance management, procurement, evaluation, or data as a service.

The US$60 million initiative could help cities find new ways to reduce budgetary waste, make more informed investments, and advance equity, as well as to drive data skills and best practices throughout the organisation.

“A growing number of city leaders are using data to drive their decision-making, and as they respond to unprecedented new challenges, expanding this programme will help them do it even more effectively,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and former mayor of New York City. “The City Data Alliance will give an international community of forward-thinking leaders even more tools for harnessing the power of data – and improving their residents’ everyday lives.”

Data-driven results

Research from the OECD and Bloomberg Philanthropies found that in cities with advanced data practices – including using stakeholder engagement, open data, and performance analytics to inform decision-making – residents report higher satisfaction and wellbeing than those without.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance will deliver training and support in partnership with the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, the Behavioral Insights Team, Results for America, and Public Digital.

Mayors will participate in a six-month acceleration programme and receive a 12-month investment to improve a critical data capacity. With hands-on support from an expert partner, the city will apply the practice to a top mayoral priority, while building the policies and infrastructure for that practice to be
adopted citywide.

Cities across the United States, Latin America, and Canada with populations of 100,000 or more are eligible to apply. The first cohort of cities will be announced in Spring 2022.

The City Data Alliance builds on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ work to help local governments to improve their data practices through the What Works Cities programme, which launched in 2015.