Bloomberg Philanthropies Grants

Bloomberg Philanthropies is Michael Bloomberg's umbrella giving organization. Since inception it has distributed more than $14 billion across 5 focus areas:

• The Arts — supporting visual and performing arts organizations in major cities, plus the Public Art Challenge
• Education — CollegePoint, College Excellence Program, career-connected learning
• Environment — clean energy, sustainable cities, ocean conservation, the Beyond Carbon campaign
• Government Innovation — the Mayors Challenge, What Works Cities, and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
• Public Health — global tobacco control, road safety, obesity prevention, drowning prevention, maternal health

Bloomberg's distinctive model is to partner with cities and other implementers rather than make traditional open-call grants. Most funding flows through named initiatives with specific RFPs:

• Mayors Challenge — multi-million-dollar prizes to U.S. and global cities with bold ideas to improve city life
• Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative — executive education for mayors and senior city staff
• Asphalt Art Initiative — public art on city streets
• Bloomberg Public Art Challenge — temporary public art partnerships between artists and cities
• Greenwood Initiative — building intergenerational Black wealth

If you're a city or a partner organization working on one of these themes, watch the bloomberg.org/programs page for open RFPs.

1. Watch bloomberg.org/programs for open RFPs. Bloomberg announces new initiatives by press release, then opens applications a few weeks later.
2. Join the relevant networks. What Works Cities, the City Possible network, Vital Strategies' partner networks, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group — these are the main on-ramps for Bloomberg-adjacent funding.
3. Read the RFP exactly. Each Bloomberg initiative has different eligibility, scoring, and required materials. There's no universal application.
4. Build evidence first. Bloomberg evaluates applicants on track record and measurable impact. A strong baseline of data is more important than a polished narrative.
5. Submit through the initiative-specific portal (links live in each RFP).
6. Decisions are typically announced 3–6 months after the close date.

Bloomberg does not respond to general inquiry emails or unsolicited proposals — focus your time on a specific open RFP.