Bloomberg to give US$27.5 million to most innovative cities

Bloomberg Philanthropies will provide 50 cities a total of US$27.5 million to spur government innovation with residents and entrepreneurs to reimagine municipal services.

The 50 finalists, to be unveiled in March 2025, will receive US$50,000 and participate in an ideas camp to hone, model, and test their concepts. In October 2025, the 25 cities with the most inventive ideas from the group will each be awarded US$1 million and operational assistance to bring their proposals to life.

“For more than a decade, the Mayors Challenge competition has helped local leaders test their most promising and innovative ideas,” said Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City and founder Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This new challenge will empower cities to re-think the way they deliver essential services in ways that better meet the everyday needs of residents.”

Applications must focus on innovating a service that is citywide, resident-facing, and that falls under the municipality’s authority. Bloomberg Philanthropies and its advisory council will select 25 winners based on three key criteria: novelty, potential for impact, and ability to deliver.

Services may include:

• Public transit
• Public education
• Public safety
• Public libraries, parks, and recreation
• Healthcare
• Social services
• Internet connectivity
• Housing and shelter
• Clean water, air, and infrastructure
• Waste management and sanitation.

The Mayors Challenge has until now provided 38 winning cities with funding and technical assistance to realise their ideas for addressing civic issues across five rounds of the competition.

Expanding the impact of the Mayors Challenge, to date Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported the replication of the most successful winning ideas to 337 other cities globally, reaching over 100 million residents around the world.

“With Bloomberg Philanthropies’ support, Bogotá’s Care Block programme has been strengthened, allowing us to reach the caregivers who need our support the most,” said Carlos Fernando Galán Pachón, Mayor of Bogotá. “This initiative is having an extraordinary impact locally, and has already become a global model for cities eager to reimagine their care economy. I urge other mayors, in Colombia and beyond, to participate in this new competition—in partnership with residents—to achieve the same transformative delivery of services that our city, and so many others around the world, are now able to implement.”

Cities from anywhere in the world with 100,000 residents or more can apply until 20 December, 2024, at mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org.

Image: Bloomberg Philanthropies