In addition to our work on public health, education, the environment, the arts, and cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies’s Founders Projects are unique efforts we support that fall outside of our core program areas.
Supporting Johns Hopkins
Mike has been a longtime supporter of his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, beginning with a $5 donation the year he graduated. Since then, we have supported research, capital projects, endowed professorships, and a wide range of scholarships – including a $1.8 billion gift in 2018 that made Johns Hopkins need-blind for undergraduates in perpetuity, and an additional $1 billion gift in 2024 to increase financial aid for graduate students in the schools of medicine, nursing, and public health, as well as other graduate programs.
Undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University have the lowest median student debt in the U.S., thanks to Mike‘s gift that made admissions permanently need-blind.
Promoting Women’s Economic Independence
Since 2007, we have partnered with governments, nonprofits, and the private sector to expand opportunities that lead to economic independence for women across Sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. The program provides women with training and education in key vocational tracks, from agriculture and textile making, to construction and hospitality.
This year, we reached a major milestone: More than one million women have enrolled in training and education programs, which has in turn benefited over 6.5 million of their family members.
Women received training in income-generating activities like textile making at the Women’s Opportunity Center in Rwanda, which we supported in partnership with Women for Women International. Credit: Serrah Galos
1,000,000
1,000,000women enrolled in training and education programs since 2007
Reducing U.S. Wealth Disparities
Through our Greenwood Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies aims to expand wealth-building opportunities for those in the bottom half of the wealth distribution. As part of this effort, we have supported the nation’s four historically Black medical schools, funded students from a broad range of academic backgrounds to earn PhDs in STEM at Johns Hopkins, provided clearer, more accessible data to decision-makers working to address wealth disparities, and helped cities provide residents with financial planning support.
Advancing Breakthroughs in Medical Research
Bloomberg Philanthropies has long invested in advancing medical research for diseases and disorders that receive limited attention and funding — particularly where bold, unconventional approaches are needed.
We have provided sustained support to organizations including the Lupus Research Alliance, Target ALS, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and New York Genome Center, among others. At Johns Hopkins, we fund several cutting-edge medical research programs, including the Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Acceleration Program, the Malaria Research Institute, and the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
We support groundbreaking medical research on malaria, neurofibromatosis, and cancer immunotherapy treatments at Johns Hopkins University.
