Bloomberg Philanthropies launches $50 million fund to help cities tackle global issues

abcnews.go.com:

Bloomberg Philanthropies unveiled a $50 million initiative Wednesday to help cities address global issues, including climate change, by launching programs proven effective in other cities around the world

NEW YORK — Bloomberg Philanthropies unveiled a $50 million initiative Wednesday to help cities address global issues, including climate change, by launching programs proven effective in other cities around the world.

The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange will give city governments grants for startup costs and technical support, as well as sponsor trips and webinars to inform leaders about new programs.

“Cities are a force for change on all of the big challenges we’re facing, and we’ve long worked to spread the best ideas globally,” Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, said in a statement. “This new Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange will intensify and expand those efforts, bringing new muscle and rigor to the replication process.”

The new initiative, announced at the Bloomberg CityLab conference in Washington on Wednesday, formalizes a process that CityLab has used for years. As former mayor of New York City, Bloomberg knows the importance of seeking out ideas that other cities have already proven, said James Anderson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation Program.

“He understood the unique opportunity that city leaders have to drive progress locally, but also contribute to driving around global issues like climate change,” Anderson told The Associated Press in an interview. “We looked around and we understood very quickly that many city halls did not have the capacity they needed to find solutions and to implement them locally, to make them more ambitious and move