Inside Philanthropy

Who's Funding What & Why

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Bloomberg Philanthropies

OVERVIEW: Bloomberg Philanthropies is the umbrella giving vehicle for the myriad giving of Michael Bloomberg, the Wall Street billionaire and former New York City mayor. Bloomberg funds a range of topic areas through foundation, corporate, and personal giving, including health and public health, the environment and climate change, education, government innovation, and arts & culture.

IP TAKE: Bloomberg Philanthropies is one of the largest philanthropies globally and a major presence across all of its funding areas. It is an active, collaborative participant in much of its work, which tends to take the form of signature initiatives and hands-on support for national and municipal governments. In 2022 alone, Bloomberg Philanthropies invested “$1.7 billion around the world.” According to IP founder David Callahan, “few mega-givers better exemplify Big Philanthropy than Michael Bloomberg…he knows how to pull all the levers of influence that wealth can buy, mixing data-driven grantmaking with strategic political spending.” Spanning its many issue areas, Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to “saving and improving lives around the world.”

This funder tends to provide ongoing support for existing grantee partners, and does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding. Opportunity may exist, however, through some of the Philanthropies’ competitions and contests, which are peppered throughout close to 100 programs and initiatives. To stay abreast of any new opportunities, sign up for Bloomberg’s newsletter and check relevant program pages periodically. Bloomberg Philanthropies is an ally of dozens of causes, which are constantly evolving as Bloomberg expands its reach.

PROFILE: Bloomberg Philanthropies was founded in 2006 by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg is the founder of financial services, software and media company Bloomberg LP, and is one of the wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes. Bloomberg has given away over $14 billion of his fortune over his lifetime, and he has committed to leaving his 88% stake in his company to Bloomberg Philanthropies when he dies.

Michael Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School before going to work on Wall Street at Salomon Brothers. He was given a $10 million severance package when Salomon was bought by George Soros’ Travelers Group. He then founded Innovative Market Systems, which delivered high-quality business information for investors. This was the start of Bloomberg’s empire, which was eventually renamed Bloomberg L.P. In 2001, Bloomberg mounted a successful campaign for Mayor of New York City, where he has served three terms. According to a recent annual report, Bloomberg encompass “all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including corporate, foundation, and personal philanthropy.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies works “to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people.” Grantmaking focuses on five key areas: Public Health, Environment, Education, Government Innovation and Arts & Culture. A sixth grantmaking area, Founder’s Projects, provides support for issues of special interest to Michael Bloomberg, including but not limited to Gun Safety, Disaster Relief and Women’s Economic Development.

Beyond these areas of focus, Bloomberg specifies five aspects of its approach to grantmaking. These are:

All told, Bloomberg runs close to 100 grantmaking programs and initiatives at any given time.

In addition to grantmaking, Bloomberg works includes a pro bono consultancy, Bloomberg Associates, which supports mayors of cities around the world, and Bloomberg’s Corporate Philanthropy program, which “looks to address unmet needs in the communities around the world in which Bloomberg L.P. employees live and work” through the “the time and talents of employees.”

Grants for Democracy, Community Development, and Global Development

Bloomberg’s Government Innovation grantmaking works to help cities “bring bold ideas to life and spread proven solutions to cities around the world.” According to Michael Bloomberg’s Annual Letter on Philanthropy, “By investing in mayors and local leaders, we can scale and spread change faster than ever — and help make this period of unprecedented urbanization a time of unprecedented global progress.” Indeed, a significant portion of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ work supports initiatives that help mayors and other city leaders tackle and solve problems of climate change, sustainability, economic development, public health and more. The Government Innovation program has three main sub-initiatives:

Grants for Education and Economic Development

Bloomberg’s Education funding “works to ensure that all students have the skills and opportunities to succeed in the 21st century.” Grantmaking supports K-12 initiatives, higher education and career and vocational training programs with a focus on “giving more students a chance to fulfill their potential.”

Grants for K-12 Education

Bloomberg’s Advancing K-12 Education initiative focuses on “increasing high school graduation rates and, ultimately, college enrollment” through three subinitiatives:

  • Education Reform funding supports “the success and growth of new and existing high-quality charter and autonomous schools.” In 2021, Bloomberg committed $750 million to “create 150,000 additional seats for children in charter schools in 20 U.S. metro areas, including New York City.”
  • Summer Boost is a signature Bloomberg program that provides academic support and enrichment to charter school students over the summer months. Launched in New York City in 2022, the program has expanded to seven additional cities.
  • Another signature program, Global Cities, aims to “develop global competence among the next generation” through an “international virtual exchange program” for middle school students from 51 cities around the world.

Additionally, Bloomberg established a five-year, $250 million initiative in early 2024 that will help “to create new high schools around the nation that will graduate students directly into high-demand healthcare jobs with family-sustaining wages.”

Grants for Higher Education, Work and Opportunity

Higher education grantmaking focuses on educational and career opportunity for low- and middle-income students, as well as support for individual schools with which Bloomberg maintains ongoing relationships. Funding stems from three programs:

  • Expanding College Access and Success aims to broadly expand access to higher education through three subinitiatives: American Talent Initiative, CollegePoint and Supporting Career and Technical Education.
  • Bloomberg supports individual Educational Institutions “that have a special importance to him and make a real impact in their communities,” including medical schools at four historically Black colleges. Funding goes to organizations including the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity at Princeton University, Cornell Tech, the Georgina and Charlotte Bloomberg Public Service Fellows Program at NYU and Howard University School of Medicine, among others.
  • The Greenwood Initiative works to “accelerate the pace of wealth accumulation for Black individuals and families” and increase investment in Black communities.

Grants for the Environment and Climate Change

Mike Bloomberg is “[g]lobally recognized for his work to fight climate change and accelerate the energy transition.” In 2021, he was named special envoy for climate ambition and solutions by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Environment giving area reflects this commitment, which, as IP has reported, has expanded into renewable energies. Giving stems from four separate initiatives.

  • Moving Beyond Carbon aims broadly “to drive the transition away from coal and gas and toward clean energy alternatives.” The initiative is comprised of three subprograms and focuses entirely on the U.S.
    • Beyond Carbon was established in 2019 with a $500 million commitment—a second $500 million commitment followed in 2023—to “help finish the job transitioning the country from coal and other fossil fuels to 100% clean power.” Bloomberg added another $500 million to the initiative in 2023, pledging “to shut down ‘every last’ coal plant in the United States.”
    • U.S. Beyond Coal was launched in 2011 as a collaboration among Bloomberg, the Sierra Club and some other environmental groups to accelerate the retirement of coal plants around the country. Since then, the program “helped retire 70% of the nation’s coal plants.” Today, the initiative works mainly at the state level to “accelerate the deployment of clean energy.”
    • Beyond Petrochemicals is Moving Beyond Carbon’s newest initiative. Launched in 2022, this program aims to “halt the rapid expansion of petrochemical and plastic pollution in the United States.” Priorities include the development of policy to “safeguard the health of American communities” and stopping “the expansion of more than 120 proposed petrochemical and plastic projects concentrated in three target geographies – Louisiana, Texas and the Ohio River Valley.”
  • Bloomberg’s Global Coal and Air Pollution grantmaking builds on the success of the U.S. Beyond Coal initiative and works toward “reducing emissions, protecting public health, and halting the progression of climate change.”
    • Global Beyond Coal mobilizes grassroots campaigns to retire coal plants around the world and has so far focused its work in Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
    • The Air Pollution program works mainly with national and city governments around the world to involve “local partners and authorities to design and lead projects that accelerate the end of air pollution.”
  • Supporting Sustainable Cities is a subinitiative of Bloomberg’s Environment program that “supports and collaborates with mayors and local partners to ensure cities have the resources they need to raise their ambition, share learnings, and make progress in the transition to a sustainable, healthy future.” It consists of five subprograms:
    • Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities, launched in March 2024, is a three-year initiative meant to “turbocharge 25 U.S. cities’ efforts to leverage historic levels of federal funding to proactively build low-carbon” and environmentally resilient cities that can thrive economically.
    • America is All In is “a coalition to drive a society-wide mobilization for bold climate ambition to uphold the country’s commitment to domestic and international climate action.” By working “across sectors” and with the U.S. government, this initiative aims to “present to the global community a new, ambitious and achievable national target of reducing emissions at least 50% from a 2005 baseline by 2030.”
    • Bloomberg serves as president and provides support to the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a “network of 97 of the world’s largest cities” that aim to share research, best practices and strategies for climate action.
    • The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is a group of leaders from 10,000 cities and localities around the world that seek to “to create ambitious, measurable targets that address climate change by reducing and limiting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing deployment and access to clean, renewable energy.”
    • The American Cities Climate Challenge provides support to 25 U.S. mayors as they “accelerate climate action.” Participating cities receive resources including technical, financial, communications and educational support.
  • The Driving Sustainable Finance initiative represents Bloomberg Philanthropies’ “efforts to increase transparency around the risks caused by climate change and boost sustainable investments in climate solutions.” This initiative runs several subprograms.
    • Bloomberg provides ongoing support to the IFRS Foundation’s Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, which “was established to identify industry-specific metrics to help companies around the world manage and report on the sustainability topics that matter most to their investors.”
    • Ongoing support also goes to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures, of which Mike Bloomberg serves as chair. This organization makes “recommendations to help companies disclose information designed to help lenders, insurers and investors better assess climate-related risks and opportunities, driving capital toward more sustainable investment.”
    • Bloomberg also chairs the U.N.’s Climate Finance Leadership Initiative, which seeks “to increase private sector investment in clean energy and climate solutions in emerging markets.”
  • Bloomberg at COP reflects Bloomberg’s own participation in the UN climate agenda, as well as Bloomberg Philanthropies’ and Bloomgberg LP’s support for COP.
  • Climate Book and Films prioritizes raising public awareness about climate change.

Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation

Bloomberg’s Environment grantmaking area also names Protecting the Ocean as a priority. This subprogram’s mission is to “to ensure the ocean, key marine ecosystems and the billions who depend on them can survive and thrive.”

Bloomberg Philanthropies launched the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative in 2014 “to enable greater ocean sustainability” in target regions of Brazil, Chile and the Philippines. Since then, the initiative has added at least 10 additional regions, where it focuses on the protection of coral reefs, and the development and adoption of sustainable, science-based fishing practices.

Strategic partners of the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative include the Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Fishing Watch, Outlaw Ocean and Blue Ventures, among others.

Grants for Global and Public Health

Bloomberg’s Public Health funding focuses on preventable causes of death and noncommunicable diseases. Through its many initiatives, Bloomberg works in low- and middle-income areas to “save millions of lives by spreading solutions that have been proven to work.” Initiatives are mainly organized around individual health priorities.

  • Bloomberg’s Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use works broadly to help “cities and countries implement measures that are proven to reduce use and protect people from harm.” As IP has reported, tobacco cessation is an important feature of this funder’s work.
  • The Promoting Healthy Food Choices initiative focuses on obesity prevention by “raising public awareness of the problem and supporting policies to promote healthier diets.” Work here focuses on Food Policy and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Advocacy.
  • In 2021, Bloomberg made a five-year commitment of $120 million to combat the overdose epidemic in the U.S. The initiative targets “hard-hit states” and focuses on prevention, treatment, harm reduction and the removal of “legal and administrative barriers in the federal government that hinder people’s ability to access quality medication treatment and harm reduction services.”
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies’ grantmaking for Reproductive Health prioritizes access to reproductive health services in developing countries. Bloomberg partnered with the government of Tanzania on a maternal health initiative for the Kigoma region and provides support to Family Planning 2030, “a global partnership that supports the rights of women and girls to make their own independent decisions about having children.”
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies partners with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gates Philanthropy Partners to provide support for Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative to promote cardiovascular health in the U.S. and around the world.
  • The Drowning Prevention program funds efforts in Bangladesh, Vietnam and Uganda, including swimming instruction for children, day care supervision, and data collection to develop a “cost-effective set of approaches to drowning prevention interventions.”
  • The Global Road Safety Initiative works with organizations and governments to improve road safety. Grantmaking targets low- and middle-income nations and supports activities in the areas of legislation, data collection, transportation infrastructure, vehicle safety and “road use behavior.”
  • Building Public Health Coalitions is a broad health initiative that encompasses three Bloomberg-launched efforts to “to spread effective strategies to improve health, advocate for smart policies, and reduce preventable deaths.”
    • The Global Health Advocacy Incubator “provides support and training to help organizations bring critical issues to the attention of governments and the public and to drive policy change.” A component of the incubator’s work involves information sharing among health organizations, the media and the public. IP has reported previously about Bloomberg’s global health giving.
    • The Partnership for Health Cities was organized by Mike Bloomberg as part of his work as World Health Organization Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.
    • The Task Force for Fiscal Policy on Health brings “health leaders from around the world” together to consider the application of fiscal policy tools to the problem of noncommunicable diseases.
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies also makes major investments in Historically Black Medical Schools. Recent support includes a $600 million investment in the endowments of the nation’s four historically Black medical schools.

Grants for Arts and Culture

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts grantmaking “supports artists and cultural organizations and improves audience experience to strengthen the creative landscape and quality of life in cities around the world.”

  • Through its Strengthening Local Arts Organizations initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies works in the U.S. to help “local arts and culture organizations continue innovating and enriching their communities.”
    • The Arts Innovation and Management subprogram supports “diverse small and mid-sized cultural institutions from all artistic disciplines” in select U.S. cities and Puerto Rico.
    • The Digital Accelerator Program provides grants to arts organizations of all disciplines as they “invest in strategic improvements to their technology infrastructure.” Grants have gone to organizations in the U.S. and the U.K., including the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Oakland Museum of California, Kiln Theater of London and the Orchestra of St. Lukes. IP has previously reported on this program in depth.
    • The Bloomberg Arts Internship offers paid summer internships in the arts to high school students in Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
    • Bloomberg Philanthropies has also provided critical support to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Perelman Performing Arts Center and The Shed, all of which are located in New York City.
  • Bloomberg Connects is an initiative to “help audiences connect to culture online or onsite.” The initiative launched an app in 2019 that enables users to “makes it easy to access and engage with arts and culture from mobile devices, anytime, anywhere.”
  • The Supporting Public Art program brings “mayors, local leaders and artists together to collaborate on temporary public art projects that start conversations, spur change, and strengthen communities across America.” This initiative runs three subprograms.
    • The Public Art Challenge “invites mayors and artists to submit proposals to receive up to $1 million in funding for innovative public art projects designed to address local challenges.”
    • The Asphalt Art Initiative makes grants to “assists cities looking to use art and design to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces and engage their communities.” Grants are up to $100,000 for up to 10 applying cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. As IP has reported, this initiative is ramping up its giving.
    • Bloomberg Philanthropies provides ongoing support to ArtPlace, “a nationwide initiative to drive revitalization in cities and towns by putting arts at the center of community development.”
  • Advancing Arts Around the World is Bloomberg’s global arts initiative. In London, it supports the Serpentine Galleries, the London Mithraeum, Ice Watch and London Mastaba. It also funds International Biennales at museums around the world.
  • Funder Collaborations reflects partnerships with “like-minded funders and leading cultural nonprofits to strengthen the field of arts and culture around the world.”

Grants for Violence Prevention

Since his days as Mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg has been a vociferous supporter of gun control. He founded the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which later merged with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. The two organizations eventually launched Everytown, which has become “the country’s most powerful grassroots force for gun safety.” The organization continues to receive financial and strategic support from Bloomberg.

Grants for Women and Girls

While all of Bloomberg’s grant areas intersect with supporting women and girls’ health and outcomes, Bloomberg Philanthropies names Women’s Economic Development as one of its Founder’s Projects and supports programs around the world that “create opportunities for women that lead to economic independence.” Grantee partners in this area include Women for Women International, Nest, CARE and the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative, among others.

Grants for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid

Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to providing timely Disaster Relief in response to natural and other disasters around the world. In response to recent hurricanes, storms and flooding, Bloomberg Philanthropies has provided a broad range of resources, including food, medical supplies and services, communications gear and tactical assistance for transportation and evacuations. Additionally, Bloomberg has published resilience toolkits to help leaders and others in the face of natural disasters. Toolkits are available free at Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Disaster Relief page.

Important Grant Details:

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ grantmaking generally takes the form of ongoing commitments in the millions or tens of millions.

  • Bloomberg runs dozens of signature initiatives, many of which bear the Bloomberg name.
  • This funder does not accept applications for funding, choosing instead to cultivate its own relationships with large nonprofits and NGOs.
  • A significant portion of this funder’s work supports city, state and national governments.
  • Bloomberg runs close to a dozen collaborative programs that bring mayors and other leaders from cities around the world together to address and solve shared problems related to climate change, health and more.
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies does not maintain a grants database, but annual reports are available at the organization’s site.  

General inquiries may be submitted to Bloomberg Philanthropies via its online form.

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