Michael Bloomberg commits $200 million to American mayors
On Monday, Michael Bloomberg dedicated $200 million to helping American mayors address issues in their communities via his Bloomberg Philanthropies charitable organization. Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor, told The New York Times that the American Cities Initiative will help mayors implement policy changes typically reserved for the state and federal government. "It's really efficiency in government, how you marshal resources and how you deal with the public, explain to them, bring them along," Bloomberg told the Times.
Bloomberg's initiative will include a so-called "Mayors Challenge," which asks city officials to submit innovative policy solutions by October. These proposals may tackle any issue facing their communities. Bloomberg's own priorities include climate change, gun laws, and the opioid epidemic; earlier this month, he vowed to contribute $15 million to the United Nations in an effort to replace funding lost by President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
The rewards for the Mayors Challenge will vary, with 35 cities winning $100,000, four receiving $1 million, and one winner earning $5 million, ABC News reported. American cities must have at least 30,000 residents to apply. Winners will be announced in October 2018.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Elianna Spitzer is a rising junior at Brandeis University, majoring in Politics and American Studies. She is also a news editor and writer at The Brandeis Hoot. When she is not covering campus news, Elianna can be found arguing legal cases with her mock trial team.q
-
‘Let 2026 be a year of reckoning’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why is Iran facing its biggest protests in years?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Iranians are taking to the streets as a growing movement of civic unrest threatens a fragile stability
-
How prediction markets have spread to politicsThe explainer Everything’s a gamble
-
TikTok secures deal to remain in USSpeed Read ByteDance will form a US version of the popular video-sharing platform
-
Unemployment rate ticks up amid fall job lossesSpeed Read Data released by the Commerce Department indicates ‘one of the weakest American labor markets in years’
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
