Mayors Challenge
Inspiring bold, replicable innovations developed by cities
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge is a competition to spur local government innovation that improves lives in cities around the world.
The sixth Challenge elevates municipalities that have proposed the boldest ideas to bolster essential municipal services. From Boise to Belfast, Ansan to Addis Ababa, Toronto to Taipei, the 50 finalists, selected from more than 630 applications, hail from 33 countries and represent over 80 million residents. Their ideas aim to increase public transit ridership, lower household energy costs, expand urban green space, speed service response, strengthen sanitation, improve youth safety, safeguard water supply, and more.
The new Mayors Challenge builds on more than 10 years of work led by Bloomberg Philanthropies to discover, nurture, and drive innovation in cities. The awards to date across five previous rounds of competition have provided 38 winning cities with funding and technical assistance to realize their ideas for addressing civic issues. By supporting the replication of the most successful winning ideas, Bloomberg Philanthropies has expanded the impact of the Mayors Challenge to 337 other cities globally, reaching over 100 million residents around the world.
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.
Top photo: South Bend, Indiana’s Mayors Challenge project Commuters Trust is a public-private partnership between the City and select employers to provide subsidized commuting options to employees through a Ride Guarantee program.