Bloomberg Philanthropies Announces First-Ever National Standard for Data-Driven Local Government
March 28, 2017
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced What Works Cities Certification, a new effort which will publicly recognize the municipal governments that most effectively use data to allocate resources and improve residents’ lives. A team of national experts will assess each city’s data practices, and then award cities with a “platinum,” “gold” or “silver” certification status for achieving excellence in applying data to how they govern. Like a Good Housekeeping Seal or ENERGY STAR rating for data-driven governance, What Works Cities Certification will provide cities with a new, rigorous benchmark to assess their own practices against.
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New Reports Look at The Future of International Digital Learning, K-12
February 28, 2017
A new generation of online exchange programs such as Global Scholars is connecting students across borders and cultures and offering global experiences to students who would not have this opportunity without advances in modern technology. Two reports published today explore the value of these international digital exchanges in developing students’ global knowledge, tolerance of diversity, cultural understanding and respect for different perspectives. Broadly-inclusive global learning is of particular relevance as xenophobic trends grow, world problems become increasingly interconnected and complex, and cities are challenged by the needs of diverse populations.
Read moreA Global Plan to Save Coral Reefs from Extinction
February 23, 2017
A global plan to save coral reefs from complete eradication caused by climate change, pollution and poor fishing practices launched today at The Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali. The initiative, called 50 Reefs, brings together leading ocean, climate and marine scientists as well as conservation practitioners from around the world to develop a list of the 50 most critical coral reefs to protect.
50 Reefs will be the first global plan to save the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. The final list and corresponding initiatives, to be announced later this year, will raise awareness of the increasing severity of climate change impacts on the ocean and catalyze the global action and investment required to protect these important reef systems for the future.
Read moreBloomberg Philanthropies Expands Innovation Teams Program to Seven New Cities Across the Globe
January 12, 2017
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that seven cities across the globe have been selected for the latest expansion of its Innovation Teams program. The program helps City Halls drive bold innovation, change culture, and tackle big problems to deliver better results for residents. Multi-year grants will be awarded to help cities create better results for a range of pressing problems – from tackling poverty and neighborhood revitalization to recruiting and retaining public employees. Cities include Be’er Sheva in Israel; Toronto in Canada, and Anchorage, AK; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; and Durham; NC in the United States.
Read moreFive More Cities Join Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute’s Global Initiative on Autonomous Vehicles
January 9, 2017
Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute announced that five cities have joined its global initiative to help city leaders plan and prepare for the emergence of autonomous vehicles. The cities of Helsinki, Finland; London, England; São Paulo, Brazil; Tel Aviv, Israel and Washington, D.C., USA will join the inaugural participants of the Bloomberg Aspen Initiative on Cities and Autonomous Vehicles announced last fall. Over the course of the next year, the multi-city cohort will produce a set of principles and tools that cities around the world can use to chart their own paths forward with the new technology.
Read moreCollege and Universities Agree to Expand Access and Opportunity for Talented, Lower-Income Students with American Talent Initiative Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
December 13, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that 30 of the nation’s colleges and universities will join the American Talent Initiative, a program supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies to expand access to college for the country’s high-achieving, low- and middle-income students. The American Talent Initiative will increase the number of low- and moderate-income students enrolled at the schools with the highest graduation rates by 50,000 in 2025. The initiative is managed by the Aspen Institute and Ithaka S+R.
Read moreMichael R. Bloomberg Commits $360 Million to Reduce Tobacco Use – Raising Total Giving on Tobacco Control Efforts to Nearly $1 Billion
December 5, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a new commitment of $360 million to global anti-tobacco efforts. The grant supports evidence-based policies to curb tobacco use and works to increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco in low and middle-income countries. The new round of funding raises Bloomberg’s total giving on this public health initiative to nearly $1 billion and builds on ten years of support for the implementation of tobacco control laws and policies around the world through the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. To date the initiative has successfully supported 59 countries in passing laws or policies, reaching nearly 3.5 billion people and saving an estimated 30 million lives.
Read moreCity of São Paulo Selected as the 2016 Grand Prize Winner in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Latin American and Caribbean Mayors Challenge
November 30, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the winners of its 2016 Mayors Challenge, an ideas competition that encourages cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life – and have the potential to spread. After a year-long competitive process alongside their peers, five cities emerged as winners based on four criteria: their idea’s vision and creativity, potential for impact, transferability, and viability of implementation.
Read moreBloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities Initiative More than Halfway to Goal of Supporting 100 Mid-Sized US Cities
October 24, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ announced that its What Works Cities initiative has reached a critical benchmark: 55 mid-sized U.S. cities are now working to better use data and evidence to improve services for residents, inform local decision making, and engage citizens. All together these 55 cities come from 33 states, represent 19 million residents, and have annual budgets exceeding $63 billion.
Read moreBloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute Launch First Global Initiative to Help Leading Cities Prepare for the Advent of Autonomous Vehicles
October 24, 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute announced the Bloomberg Aspen Initiative on Cities and Autonomous Vehicles, a new program for leading global mayors who will work together to prepare their cities for the emergence of autonomous vehicles. Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute will galvanize experts and data to accelerate cities’ planning efforts, and produce a set of principles and tools that participating cities, as well as cities around the world, can use to chart their own paths forward. The inaugural cities in the initiative include Austin, USA; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Los Angeles, USA; Paris, France; and Nashville, USA. Five additional cities will be announced later this year.
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