Bloomberg Philanthropies

The Philanthropies’ grantmaking approaches are rooted in Bloomberg’s experiences in business and politics. A leader in bringing data-driven approaches to the financial sector during his 20-year tenure as CEO and chairman of Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg brought the same commitment to open-source data and accountability to his philanthropic initiatives. A focus on data and evidence remains a core tenet of Bloomberg Philanthropies today. 

After stepping back from his company, Bloomberg served three consecutive terms as Mayor of New York City where he learned that it was often the unpublicized and underfunded issues that had the most impact on the lives of city residents. This experience also impacted his philanthropy: Bloomberg Philanthropies applies a specific lens of identifying unmet needs and filling critical funding gaps that other donors may not tackle. For example, in the field of public health, the Philanthropies’ uniquely lead global initiatives to curb tobacco use, prevent drownings, and reduce road traffic accidents.

A key focus of the Philanthropies’ strategies stems from Bloomberg’s experience leading one of the largest cities in the world and his belief in cities as catalysts for change. With an increase in the number of people living in cities around the world, Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in local government leadership and innovation to find solutions that can impact the lives of millions of people and potentially be replicated in other cities. As stated on the Bloomberg Philanthropies website: “By investing in mayors and local leaders, we can scale and spread change faster than ever.”

As of 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested $14.4 billion in more than 700 cities in 150 countries worldwide. A feature of this funding is the initiatives established with Bloomberg’s alma maters, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University, to create centers for learning and knowledge sharing for mayors around the world.

In addition to guiding Bloomberg Philanthropies’ core grantmaking strategies, Bloomberg funnels his passion for policy change into Founder’s Projects to tackle issues he witnessed and experienced throughout his career. Highlights of these projects include The Women’s Economic Development program, which seeks to create opportunities for women that lead to economic independence; Everytown for Gun Safety, which evolved from Bloomberg’s national coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns into a common-sense gun safety policy and violence prevention organization; and The Greenwood Initiative, which aims to reduce health and wealth disparities in Black communities.

Bloomberg is a leading 21st century philanthropist who is applying experiences accumulated in his career to actively give to those issues where he believes he can positively impact the lives of people in cities and communities around the world. In 2010, when Bloomberg signed The Giving Pledge, he stated: “If you want to fully enjoy life—give.

Contributor: Dion McDougal