The arts have the power to inspire creativity, spark collaboration, and improve people’s lives. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts program invests in artists, arts organizations, and audience experiences to strengthen the creative landscape and quality of life in cities around the world.
Partnering with Global Cultural Institutions
As one of the world’s largest philanthropic funders of the arts, Bloomberg Philanthropies partners with outstanding cultural institutions to support their work, helps put on groundbreaking exhibitions, and shares programming with wider audiences.
Our support spans more than 700 cultural institutions globally, in addition to partnerships with countless artists and major art gatherings.
CONGREGATION by Es Devlin
Olafur Eliasson: OPEN. Credit: Courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Amy Sherald: American Sublime. Credit: Courtesy of the Whitney Museum of American Art/Matthew Carasella
Archipelagic Void by Minsuk Cho. Credit: Iwan Baan, Courtesy of Serpentine
Sharing Digital Guides to Cultural Organizations
At the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan, a visitor used Bloomberg Connects to explore Adrián Villar Rojas’ Untitled 22 (From the Series The End of Imagination).
As part of our work to help cultural organizations harness the power of technology to engage audiences, we launched the free Bloomberg Connects app in 2019.
Bloomberg Connects now offers digital guides and in-depth, curated content from more than 1,000 museums, historical sites, botanical gardens, and other cultural institutions in more than 300 cities around the world – making it easy to explore their offerings from mobile devices, anytime, anywhere, in 53 languages.
1,000+
1,000+cultural institutions with free guides on Bloomberg Connects
5M+
5M+total users
53
53languages available
Strengthening the Arts Through Technology
At SFJAZZ, the organization used new mobile recording equipment developed with our support to better capture and share a live performance online.
Bringing together our support for the arts and belief in the value of technology, we launched the Digital Accelerator Program in 2021 to address arts organizations’ need for stronger digital infrastructure.
The program helps cultural organizations strengthen their technology and management practices to improve operations, drive revenue, increase fundraising, engage broader audiences, and deliver dynamic programming. In 2024, we further expanded the program, bringing the total number of organizations we have served to nearly 350.
SPOTLIGHT
SFJAZZ, San Francisco, CA
With our support, the organization created a new mobile content studio to expand production and distribution while increasing on-demand viewership through website upgrades.
Bush Theatre, London, UK
By redesigning its website to improve online ticketing, the theater increased online sales by 133% and cut processing time by 40%.
Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, GA
The center launched a new search tool to increase access to their archival databases, which increased unique monthly visitors thirteen-fold and raised an additional $460,000.
Sparking Collaboration Through Public Art
Baltimore lit up historic bell towers with 15-foot sculptures through Zoë Charlton’s Third Watch. Credit: Side A Photography
Our Public Art Challenge leverages the power of public art to bring people together and draw attention to critical issues.
The U.S.-based competition builds partnerships between mayors, artists, and community members to develop innovative public art projects that shine a light on civic challenges and work to combat them. Previous rounds of the competition have focused on food insecurity, waste, drought, and more. The latest round is working with eight winning cities to implement a wide range of extraordinary installations.
Merging Public Art and Street Safety
Juárez, Mexico, completed one of the 90 projects we have supported to use arts-driven roadway redesigns to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage communities. The city’s transformation of its historic center resulted in a 59% increase in pedestrian visits, a 43% decrease in vehicle speeds, and a 100% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians.
Expanding Opportunities in the Arts
Through the Bloomberg Arts Internship, we have provided meaningful, paid internships for more than 2,250 public school students at over 250 cultural organizations in seven cities: Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and expanded to Detroit and New Orleans for the first time in 2024.
In August 2024, interns presented on their work at cultural institutions in New York City.