By Staff Report
Fifty cities from 33 countries have been named global finalists in the ongoing Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, with each municipality receiving $50,000 to prototype bold, resident-centered ideas aimed at tackling critical urban challenges. In January 2026, 25 of the finalist cities will be selected to receive $1 million each and additional support to bring their solutions to life.
Now in its sixth cycle, the Mayors Challenge remains a cornerstone of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ mission to accelerate innovation in local government. More than 630 cities applied to this round, representing over 80 million residents. Finalist proposals focus on expanding green space, improving youth safety, reducing energy costs, and using artificial intelligence to enhance city services.
“Local government is where people meet policy—and where government improves lives and builds trust,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “That’s why municipal innovation isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about solving hard problems under pressure, often with imperfect tools and finite resources. These Mayors Challenge finalists stand out because they’re not just thinking creatively—they’re designing solutions that reckon with the complexity of implementation and the urgency of their residents’ needs. Their proposals reflect a new standard for public sector achievement: ambitious, yes, but also grounded, disciplined, and ripe for real impact.”
Each finalist will participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Ideas Camp in July, where city leaders will test and refine their ideas with guidance from experts and peers.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies has provided invaluable support for cities to develop and implement innovative solutions that improve the lives of residents in ways they can feel,” said Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit. “Detroit is honored to be among the 50 municipalities selected from over 630 applications for the organization’s Mayors Challenge. As a finalist, we will work with renowned experts and peers to advance our proposal to create a powerful, single entry that connects currently scattered information – such as inspection dates, taxes, and utilities – on all 400,000 Detroit properties to revolutionize how owners can access this vital information, as well as how our city plans and provides its most essential services.”
“Thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for seeing our vision to improve the quality of life for seniors across our city,” said Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers, New York. “We are honored to be among 50 finalists selected for the prestigious global Mayors Challenge competition. As a finalist, we will look to create a fully sustainable model for community engagement – marshaling public and private partners as well as residents and students – coupled with innovative technology and tools to enable many more to age safely and gracefully in place.”
“Seoul is honored to be selected as one of the 50 finalists for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge competition,” said Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul, South Korea. “As a finalist, we will further our proposal to launch powerful educational campaigns and new support systems that will protect youth safety and prevent online child exploitation through the development of an AI-based mobile app that detects risks and alerts parents, while working alongside other cities to set a new standard for the future of urban policy.”
“Local government and mayors’ offices are the beating heart of innovation and change in our urban environments,” said Professor Lesley Lokko OBE, founder and chair of the African Futures Institute and a 2025 Mayors Challenge advisory committee member. “It has been an honour to join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ advisory committee for the organization’s sixth Mayors Challenge, an initiative dedicated to empowering and supporting city makers around the world. I look forward to working with these 50 finalists as they advance in this extraordinary competition—strengthening their ideas, which each represent the inventiveness citizens everywhere should expect from their governments—and the future of what municipal delivery has the power and potential to be.”
“For more than a decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has provided unprecedented support to drive local government innovation in cities across the country and around the world,” said Admiral Michael G. Mullen, president and CEO of MGM Consulting and a member of the 2025 advisory committee. “The organization’s sixth Mayors Challenge will invest in the future of urban delivery from the ground floor of communities—and I am thrilled to join its advisory committee and work with these finalist cities on accelerating their ideas – from safeguarding water supply to carving out community spaces to integrating AI to improve student routes, and more.”
Since its inception, the Mayor’s Challenge has awarded 38 cities with funding and technical assistance to implement innovative ideas. Many of those ideas have since been replicated in over 330 cities around the world, impacting more than 100 million people.
The Challenge is one of many initiatives supported by Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and former three-term mayor of New York City. His data-driven approach to governance transformed city operations and continues to shape global urban policy.
In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded Bloomberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Bloomberg’s philanthropic commitment includes the Greenwood Initiative, which aims to accelerate Black wealth creation, and ongoing support for historically Black medical schools. During his 2020 presidential run, Bloomberg partnered with the Black Press of America to help engage Black voters and elevate underrepresented voices—a relationship that continues to inform the philanthropy’s equity-driven programs.
To view the complete list of the 50 finalist cities and learn more about their proposals, visit mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org.
