Bloomberg Philanthropies (Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc)

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $1,006,000,000 (2023); $3,700,000,000 (2024)
Success Rate: Varies by program (competitive programs typically 4-8% for major competitions)
Decision Time: Varies by program
Grant Range: $25,000 - $100,000,000+
Geographic Focus: Global (with significant U.S. focus)
Total Assets: $11,800,000,000+

Contact Details

Address: 25 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075

Phone: +1 212-205-0100

Email: communications@bloomberg.org (media inquiries)

Website: https://www.bloomberg.org

Contact Page: https://www.bloomberg.org/about/contact/

Application Portal: apply.bloomberg.org/submit (for competitive programs only)

Overview

Founded in 2006 by Michael R. Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of the charitable giving of its founder. The organization has distributed over $17 billion since its inception, with $3.7 billion distributed in 2024 alone, making Michael Bloomberg the largest individual donor that year. Bloomberg Philanthropies operates with assets exceeding $11.8 billion and focuses its resources on five key areas: the Arts, Education, the Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. The organization's mission is to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. Under the leadership of CEO Patricia E. Harris, who has been described by Bloomberg as "the foundation" of the organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies emphasizes data-driven solutions, measurable results, and scaling proven approaches. The organization works primarily with existing partners and through competitive programs rather than accepting unsolicited proposals, focusing on creating models that can be replicated and scaled globally.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Bloomberg Philanthropies operates through invitation-only partnerships and approximately 100 competitive programs and contests across its five focus areas:

Arts

Support for cultural institutions and public art projects
Bloomberg Connects digital platform for arts engagement
Historic example: $32 million to 250 NYC arts organizations (2011) - grants ranged from $25,000 to $350,000 over two years for organizations with budgets under $3 million
Major capital support for institutions like the Perelman Performing Arts Center at World Trade Center
Digital Accelerator Program: $30 million international program to help arts organizations invest in technology

Education

American Talent Initiative: Expanding access to higher education
CollegePoint: College access and success programs
Career and Technical Education support
Major initiative: $250 million (2024) for new high schools partnering students directly into healthcare careers
Partnership with HBCUs: $10 million commitment (matched by City Fund) for charter schools
Medical education: $1 billion to Johns Hopkins for free medical school; $600 million to four HBCUs for medical school endowments

Environment

American Cities Climate Challenge: Support for 25 U.S. mayors accelerating climate action (includes technical, financial, communications, and educational support)
Beyond Coal campaign
Clean energy transition programs
Ocean conservation efforts
Local Leaders Climate Awards: Recognition for cities and regions demonstrating climate leadership
2025 Awards: $1.9 billion collective commitment for polio eradication

Government Innovation

Mayors Challenge: Global competition for innovative municipal service solutions (2025 edition: 50 finalists receive $50,000; 25 winners receive $1 million plus operational assistance)
Innovation Delivery Teams: $45 million program
Training for UK metro mayors and Mayoral Strategic Authorities
Data-driven governance solutions
Applications accepted from cities with 100,000+ residents worldwide

Public Health

Polio eradication initiatives
Drowning prevention: $60 million investment through 2027
Tobacco reduction programs
Opioid prevention
Maternal health
Lead poisoning prevention
Health partnerships: $150 million investment renewed in July 2024
Work in cities and low- and middle-income countries

Grant Size Range:

Small grants: $25,000 - $100,000 (typical for arts organizations and specific programs)
Medium grants: $100,000 - $10 million (program support)
Large grants: $10 million - $100 million+ (major initiatives and capital projects)
Global Grants Program maximum: $100,000 for up to 15 months

Priority Areas

Bloomberg Philanthropies looks for:

Strong partners: Proven track record and organizational capacity
Innovative solutions: Novel approaches to persistent problems
Data-driven approaches: Commitment to measuring and tracking results
Scalability: Solutions that can be replicated and spread
Local leadership: Support for mayors and municipal leaders as change agents
Global impact: Projects affecting the greatest number of people
Issues others have neglected: Willingness to tackle challenging or overlooked problems

The organization emphasizes: "Make Every Day Count" and follows the principle of investing in solutions with measurable results that can be scaled.

What They Don't Fund

Unsolicited grant proposals (for majority of funding)
Projects outside the five focus areas (Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, Public Health)
Direct grants to individuals
Organizations without demonstrated capacity for implementation
Projects without clear metrics for success
Purely local projects without scaling potential (for most programs)

Governance and Leadership

CEO: Patricia E. Harris

First woman to serve as New York City's First Deputy Mayor (2006-2013), the city's highest appointed position
Only person to serve as CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies
Previously served as Deputy Mayor (2002-2005)
Board member of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P.
Named to Crain's Business New York list of most powerful women in NYC every year since 2011
Michael Bloomberg's assessment: "Patti is the foundation"

Founder: Michael R. Bloomberg

Former Mayor of New York City (2002-2013)
Founder of Bloomberg L.P. (1981)
Giving Pledge signatory
Largest individual donor in 2024 ($3.7 billion)
Total lifetime giving: Over $17 billion

Key Leadership Quotes:

Patricia E. Harris (CEO): "In all of our work, we look for strong partners, try innovative solutions, follow the data, and spread what is proven to work." She emphasizes that "Bloomberg Philanthropies follows the same mantra we adopted in New York's City Hall: Make Every Day Count" and notes "from our earliest days, Bloomberg Philanthropies has been committed to tackling issues that others have neglected."

Michael R. Bloomberg: "If you want to fully enjoy life—give." He emphasizes that "by investing in mayors and local leaders, we can scale and spread change faster than ever" and believes "philanthropy can help lead the way" in creating models that can be scaled. Bloomberg stresses: "Data and measuring results are key" with the organizational tagline "Results that can be measured."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: Bloomberg Philanthropies does not accept unsolicited grant proposals for the majority of its funding. The organization works with existing partners on all of its key initiatives and cultivates its own relationships with large nonprofits and NGOs.

Two Pathways for Funding:

Invitation-Only Partnerships (majority of funding)
- Bloomberg Philanthropies identifies and invites organizations to partner on major initiatives
- Grants typically range from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars
- Ongoing commitments and multi-year partnerships are common
- No public application process
Competitive Programs and Contests (approximately 100 programs)
- When open, applications are submitted through: apply.bloomberg.org/submit
- Examples include:
  - Mayors Challenge (biennial): Cities with 100,000+ residents; Application deadline varies by cycle (2025 deadline: December 20, 2024)
  - Local Leaders Climate Awards: For cities demonstrating climate leadership
  - Public Art Challenge: For public art projects
  - Digital Accelerator Program: For arts and cultural organizations
  - Data for Health Global Grants Program: Maximum $100,000 for up to 15 months
- Each program has specific eligibility criteria, deadlines, and application requirements
- Announcements posted regularly on bloomberg.org

Contact for New Ideas: While unsolicited proposals are not accepted, Bloomberg Philanthropies states they are "always open to new ideas from new sources." Organizations can reach out through the contact page at bloomberg.org/about/contact/ to introduce themselves, though this does not guarantee consideration.

Decision Timeline

Competitive Programs (varies by program):

Mayors Challenge 2025 example:
- Applications due: December 20, 2024
- 50 finalists announced: March 2025 (receive $50,000 and participate in Ideas Camp)
- 25 winners announced: October 2025 (receive $1 million plus operational assistance)
- Total timeline: ~10 months from application to final decision

Invitation-Only Partnerships:

Timeline varies significantly based on project scope and partnership complexity
No standardized timeline published
Typically involves ongoing conversations and relationship building before formal grant commitment

Notification:

Competitive programs: Announced publicly through press releases and posted on bloomberg.org
Direct notification to successful applicants
Unsuccessful applicants typically notified after finalist/winner selection

Success Rates

Competitive Programs:

Mayors Challenge 2025: 50 finalists selected from 630+ applications (~8% finalist rate); 25 winners from 50 finalists (~4% overall winner rate)
Local Leaders Climate Awards 2025: 26 finalists from 160+ applications (~16% finalist rate); 10 cities and 2 regions selected as winners
Success rates vary by program but competitive programs typically have acceptance rates between 4-16%

Overall Grantmaking:

216 grants awarded in 2023
396 grants awarded in 2022
379 grants awarded in 2021
231 grants awarded in 2020
Given the invitation-only nature of most funding, traditional success rate metrics are not applicable for the majority of the portfolio

Reapplication Policy

Competitive Programs:

Organizations can typically reapply in subsequent rounds of recurring competitions
No explicit waiting period mentioned for competitive programs
Previous applicants encouraged to strengthen proposals based on program feedback where available

Invitation-Only Partnerships:

Existing grantees often receive multi-year or renewed funding
The organization prioritizes ongoing support for successful partners
No formal reapplication process as grants are by invitation

Application Success Factors

Bloomberg Philanthropies has specific characteristics that make applications and partnerships successful:

1. Alignment with Data-Driven Approach Patricia E. Harris emphasizes that Bloomberg Philanthropies looks to "follow the data, and spread what is proven to work." Organizations must demonstrate:

Clear metrics for measuring impact
Evidence-based approaches
Commitment to evaluation and learning
Willingness to track and report results

2. Scalability and Replicability Michael Bloomberg has stated that "by investing in mayors and local leaders, we can scale and spread change faster than ever." Successful projects:

Have potential for replication in other contexts
Can serve as models for others
Address systemic issues rather than isolated problems
Demonstrate how solutions can be adapted and scaled

3. Innovation and Risk-Taking Harris notes the organization has been "committed to tackling issues that others have neglected." Strong applications:

Propose innovative approaches to persistent challenges
Address overlooked or underfunded issues
Demonstrate creativity in problem-solving
Show willingness to test new models

4. Organizational Capacity The emphasis on "strong partners" means:

Proven track record of program delivery
Strong leadership and governance
Financial stability and management capacity
Ability to manage large-scale implementation
Experience with similar projects or programs

5. Focus on Local Leadership (Government Innovation) For government-focused programs:

Mayoral or senior government leadership engagement
City commitment to implementation
Multi-department collaboration
Community engagement strategies
Sustainability plans beyond grant period

6. Recent Successful Examples to Study

Boston's Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) and Equitable Emissions Investment Fund (2025 Local Leaders Climate Award winner)
50 cities selected as 2025 Mayors Challenge finalists from 630+ applications across 33 countries
Howard University College of Medicine: $32.8 million grant (part of $100 million to four HBCUs)
Johns Hopkins University: $1 billion for free medical school
Healthcare high schools initiative: $250 million for new schools connecting students to careers

7. Common Success Factors in Competitive Programs Based on Mayors Challenge and other competitions:

Bold, transformative ideas rather than incremental improvements
Clear articulation of the problem and proposed solution
Evidence of community need and support
Feasibility within proposed timeline and budget
Plans for sustainability and long-term impact
Cross-sector partnerships and collaboration

8. What Bloomberg Philanthropies Values Direct from the organization's stated approach:

"Make Every Day Count" urgency and action orientation
Results that can be measured
Pragmatic solutions over theoretical approaches
Bipartisan or non-partisan approaches (especially for government innovation)
Global perspective with local implementation

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Don't apply unless invited or through competitive programs: Bloomberg Philanthropies does not accept unsolicited proposals. Focus efforts on the ~100 competitive programs when they're open, or build relationships over time.
Prioritize data and measurement: Every aspect of your proposal should demonstrate how you'll measure impact and track results. Bloomberg Philanthropies' tagline is "Results that can be measured" - take this literally.
Think scale from day one: Even if applying for a smaller competitive program grant, articulate how your solution could be replicated, adapted, or scaled to benefit more people or communities.
Study their existing portfolio: Bloomberg Philanthropies tends to fund similar organizations and approaches repeatedly. Research their recent grants in your area (available through ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer) to understand what they value.
For competitive programs, be bold: Harris notes they tackle "issues that others have neglected" - incremental improvements are less compelling than transformative ideas. The Mayors Challenge specifically seeks to "radically improve municipal services."
Emphasize partnership and capacity: With assets over $11 billion and annual giving exceeding $1 billion, Bloomberg Philanthropies looks for partners who can handle significant scale. Demonstrate organizational readiness for major implementation.
Focus on one of the five areas: Do not propose projects outside Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, or Public Health. Within these areas, study their specific programs to understand current priorities.

References

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205602483 (Accessed December 2025)
Instrumentl 990 Report - Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/bloomberg-family-foundation-inc (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies Official Website. https://www.bloomberg.org/ (Accessed December 2025)
Wikipedia - Bloomberg Philanthropies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomberg_Philanthropies (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies Programs Page. https://www.bloomberg.org/all-programs/ (Accessed December 2025)
Patricia E. Harris Biography - Bloomberg Philanthropies. https://www.bloomberg.org/team/patricia-e-harris/ (Accessed December 2025)
Inside Philanthropy - Bloomberg Philanthropies Profile. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-b/bloomberg-philanthropies (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies Press Releases. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/ (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies - 2025 Mayors Challenge Announcement. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-announces-largest-ever-mayors-challenge-to-radically-improve-municipal-services-in-cities-around-the-world/ (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies - 2025 Local Leaders Climate Awards. https://www.bloomberg.org/press/bloomberg-philanthropies-announces-winners-of-the-2025-local-leaders-climate-awards/ (Accessed December 2025)
Patricia E. Harris CEO Letter - Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report. https://2020annualreport.bloomberg.org/ceo-letter/ (Accessed December 2025)
Michael R. Bloomberg - The Giving Pledge. https://givingpledge.org/pledger?pledgerId=172 (Accessed December 2025)
Devex - Unsolicited grant proposals not welcome at Bloomberg Philanthropies. https://www.devex.com/news/unsolicited-grant-proposals-not-welcome-at-bloomberg-philanthropies-80840 (Accessed December 2025)
TIME100 Philanthropy - Michael Bloomberg. https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286082/michael-bloomberg-titan/ (Accessed December 2025)
Bloomberg Philanthropies Contact Information. https://www.bloomberg.org/about/contact/ (Accessed December 2025)
CauseIQ - Bloomberg Family Foundation. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/bloomberg-philanthropies,205602483/ (Accessed December 2025)