Shanghai Daily: A model for the world in road safety, by Kelly Larson and Rebecca Bavinger
November 22, 2016
Shanghai has proven its commitment to reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries by addressing road safety issues and implementing solutions that have proven effective. In 2015, Shanghai was selected as one of 10 cities to be a part of an elite global network to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries. The network is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, a five-year program working to reduce fatalities and injuries around the world.
Read moreThe Washington Post: Can an art project (finally) save a neighborhood?
October 31, 2016
“Money will only go so far to fixing individual buildings,” says Kate Levin, the former New York City cultural affairs commissioner who oversees Bloomberg’s arts program. “This is potentially of much greater use because it’s creating a high level of conversation and focusing interest on something.”
Read morePhilanthropy News Digest: Bloomberg Awards $10 Million for Women Coffee Farmers in Africa
September 23, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced a $10 million grant to the Relationship Coffee Institute to expand its women’s economic development program in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Announced during the U.S.-Africa Business Forum, the grant will enable an additional twenty thousand women to benefit from and participate in Africa’s economic growth through training programs and access to the region’s coffee market.
Read moreInside Philanthropy: Be Like Mike: Bloomberg’s Road Safety Giving Is Saving Lives. Where Are Other Funders?
September 13, 2016
Road safety isn’t sexy, but it’s a pretty big deal, and it’s interesting to see the different moving parts of Bloomberg’s approach to the problem, which was reflected by the participants in the Bangkok meeting. Working with governments and other stakeholders is key, and the initiative aims to pull various levers, including policy, law, and marketing. The foundation reports that since 2007, as a result of its work, “nearly 2 billion people have been covered by strengthened road safety laws, 65 million people have been exposed to hard-hitting media campaigns promoting road safety, close to 30,000 professionals have been trained on road safety tactics and governments have committed $225 million towards infrastructure improvements that will make roads safer.”
Read moreThe Boston Globe: Harvard, Bloomberg unite for $32 million initiative for mayors
August 26, 2016
The initiative will be a collaboration between Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education program, with input from Bloomberg’s consortium of philanthropic efforts.
According to a joint press release and interviews with officials, the new City Leadership Initiative seeks to serve up to 300 mayors and 400 mayoral aides in the next four years. The “curriculum” will consist of training and research programs, mentorship, and best-practice sharing among participants, though specifics are yet to be determined.
Read moreDevex: Partnering with governments is the only route to better data
August 15, 2016
In an effort to improve services and decision-making, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ founder Mike Bloomberg focused on data, especially to make public health improvements during his 12 years as mayor of New York City. At the foundation, we apply the same philosophy on data use to global public health. The Data for Health initiative, led by the public health team at Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, aims to support interested governments in creating data systems changes that will be lasting, affordable and impactful.
Read moreThe Guardian: Halve traffic accident deaths and injuries by 2020: can it be done?
August 2, 2016
In Vietnam, for example, helmet-wearing increased from 40% to 95% within days of the government passing a requirement for motorcycle users to wear one, says Kelly Henning, director of public health programmes at Bloomberg Philanthropies. The organisation has committed $259m (£200m) to improve road safety.
Read moreThe Chronicle of Philanthropy: 3 Important Steps Philanthropies Are Taking to Curb Climate Change, by Antha Williams
July 24, 2016
Launched by the Sierra Club in 2002 and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and a host of other grant makers, Beyond Coal brings together local activists to fight pollution from coal-fired power plants in their communities. The campaign aims to close America’s dirtiest coal plants and replace them with cleaner energy through a blend of grass-roots organizing and carefully aimed lawsuits.
Read moreWNYC: The Brooklyn Museum Wants You to Put Its Staff in Your Pocket
June 29, 2016
A team of art educators sit around a cluster of computers near the museum entrance, ready to answer questions from visitors as soon as they comes through the app. But it’s teaching the museum staff something as well: They’re learning how visitors interact with the collection, and as a result, are providing more information in some places or making changes to displays in other locations. It’s one of 15 art-meets-tech projects funded by Bloomberg Connects, a part of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which aim to better connect visitors with cultural institutions.
Read moreThe New York Times: Giving Like Michael Bloomberg: ‘Find One Small Thing’
May 20, 2016
Mr. Bloomberg, 74, has adopted a strategy of giving to organizations that seek to bring about change on a local level but serve a broader purpose. He reserves a separate fund for projects that are close to his heart, like the more than $1 billion he has given to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins.
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