Annual Report 2020
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report Philanthropies Bloomberg Annual Report 2020 Feeding NYC Convening Mayors to Strengthening Global Health Care Workers Support COVID-19 Recovery Climate Activism Improving Transportation Increasing the Number and Road Safety of Black Doctors Protecting the Oceans Ensuring better, longer lives for the greatest number of people Engaging Cultural Following the Data Audiences Digitally at Johns Hopkins Advancing College Supporting Communities with Training Health Care Access and Success Best of Bloomberg Volunteers Workers in Africa Discover More 2020 Spread Address Unmet Share Build Ideas Needs Data Partnerships Increasing Sustainability Advancing Cutting- Improving Fishing Practices in Cities Edge Research Retiring Coal Plants Globally Fighting for Clean Air Helping Cities Investing in Students at Spurring Community Respond to COVID-19 Johns Hopkins University Volunteering Creating Safe and Preventing Opioid Overdoses Engaging Public Spaces About Bloomberg Philanthropies Encompassing all of Mike Bloomberg’s giving, Bloomberg Philanthropies includes his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works with mayors in cities around the world. Mike has committed the vast majority of the profits from Bloomberg L.P., the global financial technology, data, and media company that he founded in 1981, to support the work of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Supporting Refugees Investing in Women’s Spreading Innovative Worldwide Economic Development Ideas to Help Cities Providing Relief to Convening Mayors to Advocating for Healthier Cultural Organizations Support COVID-19 Recovery Food Policy Creating Summer Spaces Mobilizing for Gun Safety Supporting Public Art for Kids Ensuring better, longer lives for Mission the greatest number of people Strengthening Career and Technical Training Bloomberg Philanthropies works to improve the lives of millions of people in 810 cities and 170 countries. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies invested $1.6 billion around the world. This included the launch of many new efforts to meet urgent challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over his lifetime, Mike Bloomberg has so far given $11.1 billion to philanthropy. 1 Contents About Bloomberg Philanthropies 1 Global Reach 4 Annual Letter on Philanthropy 6 CEO Letter 14 COVID-19 Response 18 Public Health 28 Government Innovation 42 Bloomberg Associates 50 The Arts 56 Education 68 Environment 78 Founder’s Projects 90 Bloomberg L.P. 106 Board of Directors 112 The Bloomberg Connects app being used at The Drawing Center in New York City to explore Covid Tears by Chitra Ganesh. 2 3 Global Reach Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries The Arts Supporting the arts, investing in cultural organizations, and improving audience experience to strengthen the creative landscape that is critical to social and economic vibrancy in cities. Bloomberg Associates Providing world-class consulting and mentorship to mayors and their teams in order to improve residents’ lives in cities across the globe. Education Working to ensure that students have the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century and the opportunity to maximize their potential. 4 Environment Addressing the climate crisis and moving the world to a clean energy future by working with a wide range of partners — including policymakers, scientists, activists, and business leaders — on the highest-impact global climate solutions. Founder’s Projects Investing in unique efforts led by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Government Innovation Helping local leaders sharpen city governments’ ability to identify challenges, develop meaningful solutions, and improve lives. Public Health Reducing preventable deaths from tobacco use, unhealthy diets, road traffic crashes, and other causes by spreading solutions that are proven to save lives. 5 Annual Letter on Philanthropy Many people have remarked that they’d like to forget that 2020 ever happened. But the fact is, there’s never been a year more important to remember — and learn from. We faced four historic crises in 2020: a new global health crisis, an accelerating climate crisis, an American political crisis four years in the making, and a long-simmering crisis of racial injustice that finally reached a breaking point. The end of the year did not end any of the crises. In fact, in many ways, each continued to get worse as the year went on. The calendar will not save us. We have to do it ourselves, and that has been the focus of our work at Bloomberg Philanthropies. As 2020 began, I was in the middle of a campaign to address the “ Despite all that we political crisis. I threw my hat in the ring to run for president because, as faced in 2020, I’m more I said many times on the campaign optimistic than ever trail, Donald Trump was an existential threat to our democracy. I ran to about our ability to prevent the country from suffering tackle the big challenges four more years of dysfunctional, we face. To succeed, it’s divisive, and reckless leadership in the White House, leaving us to imperative that we apply continue descending further away what we have learned from our greatest strengths: our sense of unity as Americans, our during the pandemic.” respect for our allies abroad, and our commitment to freedom, equality, and democracy, here and around 6 the world. While our campaign to our Constitution and democracy. fell short, I never gave up on the The same idea that led me to run ultimate objective: bringing new for president and remain involved leadership to the White House. in the 2020 campaign — stepping Over the course of the up to offer leadership during a election, I supported ad campaigns severe national crisis — defined highlighting important issues our work fighting the COVID-19 in key states, including a major pandemic, beginning just a few investment in Florida that allowed days after my campaign ended. the Biden-Harris campaign to In early March, with nothing focus more of its resources on but denial and obfuscation coming other battleground states that from the White House regarding wound up tipping the balance in COVID-19, Bloomberg Philanthropies their favor — including Michigan, set out to help fill the leadership Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. I vacuum. We looked for ways we also supported grassroots groups could step in when Washington working to protect voting rights stepped back by empowering and increase turnout, including mayors on the front lines of the crisis, Stacey Abrams’ group Fair Fight, creating a much-needed contact which helped to turn Georgia blue tracing program that we made in November and flip both Senate available globally, and supporting seats to Democrats in the January critically important data collection. runoffs. And I continued to support And that was just the beginning. Everytown for Gun Safety's efforts The coronavirus also highlighted to improve public safety and elect issues of racial inequality and gun-sense champions. Throughout injustice that have been allowed to the final weeks of the campaign, fester. In May, when the killing of the political data operation we George Floyd shocked the nation had created, Hawkfish, sounded and galvanized protests around the the alarm about the possibility of world, our team was already hard at a “red mirage” phenomenon in work bringing to life the Greenwood which President Trump would falsely Initiative, which our campaign declare victory before all votes were had developed to increase Black counted — precisely what he did. wealth. With COVID-19 claiming so It was a disgraceful assault on our many Black lives — Black people in democracy, and with his enablers the United States are dying from in Congress cowardly refusing to COVID-19 at a rate nearly three times condemn it, the president continued that of white people — we quickly to attempt to overturn the will of decided to expand the initiative’s the people, including by inciting ambitions to help address the issue supporters to block the certification and one of the factors driving it: of the election by Congress. In trying the shortage of Black doctors. The to do so, a mob violently stormed fact is: Black patients overall have the U.S. Capitol and left a number better outcomes when they are of people dead. The possibility treated by Black physicians, but only of another four years of President five percent of practicing doctors Trump could have been catastrophic in the United States are Black. 7 Credit: Morehouse School of Morehouse Medicine Credit: Students at the four historically Black medical schools in the United States, including Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, are receiving support to reduce their debt burden. The large student debt mean more Black lives saved and that often comes with medical fewer health problems that limit school is partly responsible for opportunity in Black communities. the shortage by deterring many The battle against COVID-19 talented students from pursuing has highlighted valuable lessons careers in medicine. The pandemic that we can apply to other major could make the problem worse, challenges facing our world, because the financial strain on including the battle against climate families means fewer students change — and that starts with the will be able to afford medical importance of urgency. We saw school. It’s a serious problem that the horrific damage that can occur hasn’t gotten enough attention. when the White House sits back and So, our foundation took action. allows a crisis to spiral out of control. This past summer, Bloomberg Complacency is deadly. Urgency is Philanthropies made a gift of life-saving. As I see it, we can win $100 million to the nation’s the war against climate change if we four historically Black medical apply this and other lessons from schools — Charles R. Drew University the fight against COVID-19 — and of Medicine and Science, Howard here are five of the most important: University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Elect leaders who aren’t Morehouse School of Medicine.