The arts have the power to inspire, uplift, and improve lives. Investing in them is essential to creating strong, flourishing communities. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts program invests in artists, cultural institutions, and audience experiences to strengthen the creative landscape and quality of life in cities around the world.
Connecting Audiences to Cultural Organizations
Beginning with audio guides in the 1990s, we have helped cultural organizations use technology to better engage audiences. In 2019, we advanced this work with the launch of Bloomberg Connects, a free mobile app that provides digital guides and in-depth content from museums, historical sites, botanical gardens, and other cultural monuments around the world.
Today, Bloomberg Connects has grown to offer over 1,400 guides in 57 languages to cultural organizations in 47 countries — reaching millions of people with world-class content.
Bloomberg Connects featured guides to Frieze Sculpture 2025, a free outdoor art display at The Regent’s Park in London. Credit: Frieze Sculpture 2025, London/Photo by Alistair Veryard
1400+
1400+cultural institutions with free guides on Bloomberg Connects
7.8M
7.8Mlifetime users
57
57languages available
Helping Arts Organizations Harness the Power of Technology
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Program brings together our support for the arts and our belief in the power of technology to strengthen arts and cultural organizations. Developed in response to the pandemic to help arts and cultural institutions improve their digital infrastructure, the program supports organizations in using technology to grow revenue, deliver dynamic programming, and strengthen operations to reach new audiences and engage new artists and partners.
To date, we’ve expanded our support to nearly 350 organizations.
Through our Digital Accelerator Program, Colonial Williamsburg created a centralized digital archive of historic papers and research reports, expanding public access and driving a 90% increase in visits to the website. Credit: Courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Expanding Opportunities in the Arts
The Bloomberg Arts Internship provides public high school and college students with summer and year-round paid internships at cultural organizations — helping them build valuable skills for college and careers while gaining exposure to the arts industry. To date, the program has placed over 2,300 interns at over 430 cultural nonprofits. Among high school students who participate, 81 percent report enrolling in college or technical school — nearly 20 percentage points above the national average — and over half go on to work in the arts industry.
In August 2025, interns came together to celebrate and share their experiences working at cultural organizations in New York City.
Sparking Collaboration through Public Art
Art has the ability to unite people and call attention to critical issues. Our Public Art Challenge leverages that power, bringing together mayors, artists, and community members to develop public art projects that focus on local challenges and work to address them. There have been 17 winning cities across three rounds of competition. In 2025, the eight winning cities from the latest round all launched new projects, engaging 336 artists and 24 million residents to date.
At the Crossroads of Art and Safety
Our Asphalt Art Initiative has supported 100 projects in cities across North America and Europe, helping them use arts-driven roadway redesigns to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage communities. Evaluations have shown strong results, including declines in crashes and speeding, and increases in vehicles yielding to pedestrians. Inspired by our initiative, an additional 200 projects have been implemented — and in 2025, we increased the size of our grants for 10 new projects across North America.
With our support, Detroit installed a mural at the busy Lahser Triangle, creating 1,700 square feet of new public space and adding two new crosswalks.
Partnering with Cultural Institutions
Bloomberg Philanthropies is one of the world’s largest philanthropic funders of the arts. Each year, we support more than 1,800 cultural institutions globally, in addition to partnerships with dozens of artists and major art gatherings. We work with arts and cultural institutions to strengthen their operations, present new programming, and reach wider audiences — helping them build long-term sustainability and connecting more people to the arts in cities around the world.
Brooklyn Museum, New York City, New York. Monet and Venice. Credit: Matthew Carasella Photography
Tai Kwun, Hong Kong. Memoir in Neon by YARD Architecture Studio. Credit: Courtesy of Tai kwun and YARD Architecture Studio
Serpentine, London, United Kingdom. Credit: Iwan Baan (Courtesy of Serpentine)
25 Years of Leadership at the World Trade Center Site
As mayor of New York City, Mike led its post-9/11 recovery. Today, he serves as board chair for two institutions that proved pivotal in helping to revitalize Lower Manhattan. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum honors the memories of those killed and invites visitors to learn about the history and aftermath of the attacks. The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is a spectacular work of public architecture and the capstone of the Bloomberg administration’s vision for rebuilding the World Trade Center and surrounding neighborhood.
Standing where the Twin Towers once stood in Lower Manhattan, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum make up one of the most visited sites in New York City.