Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange is sponsored by Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. An initiative to spread proven solutions from one city to others, offering grants to cover start-up costs associated with replicating ideas.

Spurring Innovation in Cities | Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation Spurring Innovation in Cities Spurring Innovation in Cities Solutions to many of the greatest challenges we face can be found in cities. Local governments are uniquely positioned to bring about change and get things done, but they also face unprecedented challenges.

Some of those challenges are within their control, while others are not — but no matter what local leaders face, creativity, flexibility, and innovation hold the key to unlocking the full potential of their cities. The Government Innovation program’s mission: give city governments the support they need to do that.

The program promotes the latest in public – and private – sector innovation, while introducing and spreading proven and promising solutions among cities around the world. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ work helps mayors and local leaders develop and test big ideas, understand what works and what doesn’t, and provides them with the tools and support they need to transform their cities and prepare them for the future.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge is a competition to spur local government innovation that improves lives in cities around the world. The latest Challenge awarded municipalities that have proposed and tested the best breakthrough ideas to bolster essential services at scale – including cooling homes, reducing waste, lowering utility costs, expanding transit, increasing jobs, and more.

The Mayors Challenge winning project from Pasig, Philippines is co-designing with residents floating parks in flood-prone waterways to reduce overflow, add green space, and strengthen community ties. Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange is a first-of-its-kind initiative to accelerate the spread of successful civic solutions between cities around the world.

The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange brings together curious city leaders, proven and promising ideas, and the supports municipalities need to adapt what’s worked in other places and deliver impact back home. Available to any official municipality at no cost, the ideas elevated here have not only demonstrated impact, but they address challenges common to many cities right now.

Youth Climate Action Fund The Youth Climate Action Fund provides capital and capacity to support municipalities in mobilizing young residents ages 15–24 in designing and delivering solutions aligned with citywide priorities. Through the Fund, city halls open innovation competitions, inviting young people’s ideas, selecting the strongest proposals, and funding them with $50,000 and technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Team (i-team) Program Charged with helping city officials and civic partners design solutions that meet pressing local challenges, i-teams include specialized staff that expertly deploy data, collect insight, and collaborate across sectors to implement resident-centered interventions that improve people’s lives. The I-teams in Louisville, Kentucky host a Wi-Fi hackathon.

Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure The Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI) helps cities around the world design streets that increase biking rates, revitalize neighborhoods, and promote the health and well-being of communities. Bike riders in Bogotá, Colombia. Credit: Courtesy of the City of Bogotá, Colombia.

In collaboration with the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg Philanthropies launched City AI Connect, a new global learning community and digital platform for cities to trial and advance the usage of generative artificial intelligence to improve public services.

To maximize the potential and expand the availability of generative artificial intelligence learning for local governments, City AI Connect will offer officials a single destination to ideate, develop, and test new utilizations with peers across cities. Its purpose is to strengthen the human effort necessary to manage and deploy generative artificial intelligence in city halls, not to replace it.

City AI Connect was launched during the Mayors Innovation Studio during Bloomberg CityLab 2023 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: Chief Innovation Officers and their staff from cities across the country gather during CityLab for the Bloomberg Chief Innovators Studio ahead of CityLab, Miami.