Government InnovationSupporting City Leaders

Supporting City Leaders

Mayors and local leaders are on the front lines. More than any other elected officials, they have the power to bring about real change and solve many of society’s biggest problems. They’re also often confronted by challenges out of their control. Those constraints come in many forms, but whether financial, societal, or governmental, our goal is to help them overcome whatever roadblocks they face by working with them to implement a flexible, innovative approach to governing and by providing them with the resources and support they need to do improve the lives of the people living in their cities.

Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative

Bloomberg Philanthropies has partnered with Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to provide mayors around the world with the resources, support, and expertise they need to help them grow as leaders and to implement proven, innovative strategies in order to solve the biggest problems their cities face.

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University, Linda Blimes; Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at Harvard University, Stephen Goldsmith; Bloomberg Associates Social Services Principal Linda Gibbs; and Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University, Akash Deep speak on a panel during the 3rd class of mayors in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiitative Program in New York City. — Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University, Linda Blimes; Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at Harvard University, Stephen Goldsmith; Bloomberg Associates Social Services Principal Linda Gibbs; and Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University, Akash Deep speak on a panel during the 3rd class of mayors in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Program in New York City.

Local Infrastructure Hub

The Local Infrastructure Hub: Support for U.S. Cities and Towns to Put Federal Funding to Work for Residents is a national program to ensure that all cities and towns can access federal infrastructure funding to drive local recovery, improve communities, and deliver results for residents. The Hub will bring together nonprofits, city networks, academics, and policy experts to provide direct support to communities as they develop applications, including one-on-one coaching, webinars, on-demand answers to pressing questions, data analysis, guidance from issue experts on a range of infrastructure-related topics, and easily accessible information on the rules and timeframes for specific funding opportunities.

The Bloomberg-Sagol Center for City Leadership at Tel Aviv University

The Bloomberg-Sagol Center for City Leadership at Tel Aviv University will strengthen local leadership across Israel by helping mayors deliver better public services to residents, strengthen social bonds, and deepen ties to the global community of innovative city leaders.

Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University

The Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University builds upon the success of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a collaboration between Bloomberg Philanthropies, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School established in 2017, and will strengthen the capabilities of mayors and their teams.

The Bloomberg Center for Cities builds on the success of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and deepens Bloomberg Philanthropies’ and Harvard University’s commitment to supporting bold and innovative city leadership.

Bloomberg CityLab

CityLab is the preeminent global cities summit which gathers the most influential mayors and voices from hundreds of cities worldwide. Bloomberg CityLab was founded on the principle that the most important innovation is happening at the local level and that global impact can be achieved when cities share solutions.

COVID-19 Local Response Initiative

Due the COVID-19 pandemic, mayors across the country and around the world are confronting an unprecedented public health crisis — and, in the United States, they’ve been forced to do so without the full support of the federal government. Bloomberg Philanthropies is helping to fill that void by providing the guidance, expertise, information, and resources they need to save people’s lives.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces the state's contact tracing pilot program with support from Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Cuomo sits with members of his administration during a press conference with Mike Bloomberg joining in via video conference call. — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces the state’s contact tracing pilot program with support from Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

For Local Government Innovators

Visit the Bloomberg Cities Network, created in partnership with Johns Hopkins for city leaders and innovators full of resources, learning opportunities, and connections to peers around the world. Join the network to receive exclusive resources, including access to world-class training and events, peer networking opportunities, powerful city solutions, and more.

See all of our Government Innovation program areas

Top photo: Mike Bloomberg addresses more than 40 mayors in cohort at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative program in New York City.