Solutions to many of the greatest challenges we face depend on the progress of cities. Local leaders are uniquely positioned to bring about real change that has tangible impact for residents, but often, they don’t have the resources to do so. How can we support city governments in bridging this gap, so they have the capabilities they need to move communities forward? The Government Innovation team at Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses on providing mayors and local government officials with...

Tobacco use is the world’s leading cause of preventable death. Since the mid-20th century, the tobacco industry has used deliberate marketing tactics to confuse the public about tobacco’s harmful effects, causing billions of deaths globally from tobacco use and second-hand smoke. However, a growing number of countries and organizations around the world are standing up to the tobacco industry and taking strong action. Since its launch in 1995, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has tackled...

Data plays a critical role in helping build a more equitable society. As leaders and organizations across the country grapple with how to strategically invest in Black communities, having access to relevant data about wealth equity in the U.S. is essential. Unfortunately, that data is often out-of-date, inaccessible, not disaggregated by race, and not available at the local level. So, how can we work to reduce the gaps in racial wealth equity data? Supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies’...

The future of our country depends on bold changes to education to ensure that all students are able to realize their full potential. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, in 2022, average mathematics scores at fourth grade declined across the country. Furthermore, only a third of Americans have a bachelor’s degree or higher, while there continues to be major shortfalls of qualified candidates for “middle skills jobs." How can we improve student achievement and provide...

Everyone knows that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but can singing in the shower also help? What about seeing a play or taking a painting class? For the past two years, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported the EpiArts Lab, a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab based at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine in partnership with University College London. The EpiArts Lab has analyzed longitudinal datasets that follow thousands of U.S. residents from all...

The overdose crisis is affecting US communities everywhere. A new survey by the Pew Research Center found nearly one in two people in the U.S. knows someone with a substance use disorder. In 2018, the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative began its work supporting Michigan and Pennsylvania in using a data-driven approach to confront the overdose crisis, resulting in both states seeing lower increases in overdose deaths than the national average despite the setbacks brought on by the...

Women and girls make up a disproportionate amount of the 1.2 billion people who live in extreme poverty around the world. Our guests today are working in Rwanda and in cities around the world to create opportunities for women that lead to economic independence. Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies' Women's Economic Development Initiative, led by Verna Eggleston, has focused on developing women's skills to help them master income-generating activities. More than 724,000 women and their...

Across the United States, millions of students are performing below grade level. Eighth grade reading scores are at their lowest level in two decades, and math scores are at a three-decade low, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. How can we help students combat pandemic learning loss? A great education is critical to ensure America can continue leading the global economy - and Bloomberg Philanthropies is funding summer school in eight cities to help public charter...

Did you know that it could take up to 500 years for single-use plastic bottles to biodegrade in the ocean, according to estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration? What if the solution for more sustainable packaging also lies in the seas? Bloomberg Philanthropies is working to ensure the ocean, key marine ecosystems, and the billions who depend on them can survive and thrive through the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative. Our guest today – Pierre Paslier – co-founded...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 8 million people are killed by tobacco each year. Unfortunately, most tobacco-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, areas that are targets of intensive tobacco industry marketing. But the good news is that the scale of this human tragedy is preventable. The Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use at Bloomberg Philanthropies works with national and local governments in more than 110 countries to help implement...

The climate crisis is one of the biggest stories of our time. And Hollywood is one of the most powerful storytellers in the world. Yet our film and TV screens aren't reflecting the reality of climate change. Until now. Enter Extrapolations, an eight-episode series that recently premiered on Apple TV+. Written by Scott Z. Burns - whose 2011 film Contagion became eerily real during the pandemic - the ambitious show explores how climate change could affect every aspect of our lives, from...

Across the country and around the world, housing costs are soaring. Rents rose by 6.2% annually in 2022, after growing by almost 15% in 2021, according to Yardi Matrix. And the impacts of these rising costs are clear: research from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shows that nearly one third of renters did not pay or were late with the rent at least once in 2022. For several years, the Bloomberg Associates Sustainability team has worked closely with our client cities to address key...

Black communities in the US breathe dirtier air than communities that are predominantly White. According to research aggregated by the American Lung Association, Black people face higher exposure to air pollutants, and suffer greater risk of premature death from particle pollution. This episode of Follow the Data is the second of a two-part series that includes panels from Bloomberg’s 2022 Power of Difference Summit, held in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies' Greenwood Initiative,...

Communities of color face disproportionate risks from the effects of climate change. For example, according to New York Times Magazine, African-Americans are 75 percent more likely than other communities to live near facilities that produce hazardous waste. Data like this makes it clear that tackling climate change, improving public health, and fighting racial inequality all go together. This episode of Follow the Data is the first in a two-part series that features live discussions from...

Maternal mortality is a leading cause of death worldwide, causing nearly 300,000 deaths every year, but the majority of these deaths are entirely preventable. In 2006, Tanzania ranked number 6 in the world in terms of maternal mortality, which led Bloomberg Philanthropies to partner with the Government of Tanzania to increase access to emergency obstetric and reproductive care in one state, the Kigoma Region. The partnership lasted until 2019, when the government fully took over the...

On average, Black families in America have one-eighth the wealth of White families. Bloomberg Philanthropies is working to change that with data. The new Black Wealth Data Center (BWDC)will provide greater access to racial wealth equity data, making it easier for policymakers, economists, philanthropists, and journalists to find and analyze a variety of factors correlated to economic well-being and progress by race. On the BWDC's Racial Wealth Equity Database, visitors can interact with data...

This is a very special episode. To celebrate the release of the 2021 Annual Report, our yearly review of Bloomberg Philanthropies' efforts to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people, our founder, Mike Bloomberg, and CEO, Patti Harris, joined the podcast. Mike Bloomberg has committed the vast majority of profits from Bloomberg LP, the global financial technology, data, and media company that he founded, to support the work of Bloomberg Philanthropies. He has given...

Coral reefs are a critical ecosystem for our environment - and source of food, livelihoods, and cultural heritage for 500 million people. They're also likely to disappear by 2050 if the goals of the Paris Agreement are not met. That's why Bloomberg Philanthropies is promoting coral reef conservation through our Vibrant Oceans Initiative, which works with coastal communities, nonprofit organizations, local and national governments, policymakers, and academic groups to create more sustainable...

Movies can have such an immense impact in our lives. They can inspire discourse, connection, joy, and discovery. And their impact on and reflection of our society – though not always positive – is a critical part of our culture. To capture the legacy and history of movie making and to engage future generations, a new cultural institution has opened in the heart of Los Angeles: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The museum opened its doors in September 2021 with a focus on the history and...

The pandemic has exacerbated some of the biggest challenges facing the world, from climate change to public health, and government leadership to education. Over the past few years, Bloomberg Philanthropies has doubled down on existing commitments, expanded our partnerships, and formed new ones to make the biggest impact possible. That work wouldn't be possible without the leadership of Patti Harris - our Chief Executive Officer, who oversees all of Mike Bloomberg's giving, including his...

In Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka recently commissioned a monument honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman - who escaped slavery and helped many others do the same as a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad, which passed through many sites in New Jersey and specifically in Newark. Designed by New Jersey-based artist and architect Nina Cooke John, the new monument will be built on the former site of a Christopher Columbus statue that was removed from a downtown park in the summer of...