The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance works with mayors and their municipalities across North, Central, and South America to provide executive education and coaching on how to elevate data and artificial intelligence to strengthen local government operations, innovate public services, and produce better outcomes for residents including improving access to health care, reimagining waste management systems, expanding affordable housing, or combatting homelessness.

Over the past decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has worked with local leaders to make strong  progress toward improving residents’ lives by using data to make decisions, shape policy, understand challenges, design and pursue solutions, and evaluate progress.  

Now, city leaders are positioned to take their data expertise and capabilities to the next level to better engage, inform, and inspire residents; to improve outcomes for communities; and to solve problems creatively and effectively.

What is the Opportunity?

The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance is helping an international consortium of advanced mayors from North, Central, and South America use data and artificial intelligence to assess needs, strengthen services, and codify policies that enshrine and spread results-based practices across their city hall organization. The City Data Alliance supports mayors and their teams to: 

• Become proficient consumers and users of data to pinpoint problems, measure progress, and identify solutions; 
• Leverage data to enhance service delivery, performance, and other city goals through the creation of foundational organizational processes like human resources, procurement, and budgeting; and
• Engage impacted residents in program and policy design.

What Does the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance Offer?

The suite of supports provided to cities in the City Data Alliance helps mayors and their senior teams:

• Deepen their use of data to inform decisions, transform systems, understand impact, and communicate results; 
• Set targets so cities have a comprehensive plan and process to ask tough questions, invest in proven practices, innovate their approaches, evaluate progress, and establish new policies and standards to ensure the work is sustained; and
• Make a shared, public commitment to use data to better understand and more effectively deliver on community needs;

The program is designed for those mayors that are already committed to using data to improve lives and want to go to the next level. 

• The program begins with an in-person visit to each city where coaches will work with mayors to hone their vision to advance their city’s use of data and improve resident outcomes. Coaches will convene city stakeholders, help build out the team, and scope priorities for the work together.
• City teams will begin their involvement in the program with an intensive demonstration project to test and improve city data infrastructure and thought processes oriented towards resident impact. This Resident Impact Data Project will set the stage for cities to assess needs and opportunities for a Citywide Data Strategy, and will run for the duration of the 10-month program.
• After the first 3-month phase of the Resident Impact Data Project, City teams will also receive a six-month acceleration program including executive education and individualized city coaching and consultation. This includes individual coaching sessions, workshops with peer cities from across North, Central, and South America, and keynote instruction from leading international experts. This suite of support will enable cities to launch a Citywide Data Strategy. 
• In the fourth quarter of 2025, City Data Alliance leaders will convene in person to collaborate with peer cities, hear from leading global experts, and articulate their role in driving the city towards data excellence.
• In the first quarter of 2026, the program will conclude with an in-person Mayoral Convening for mayors to celebrate their teams’ successes, commit to implementing the strategies and policies teams have laid out, and crystallize their ability to communicate about using data and artificial intelligence to drive resident impact.

What is a Citywide Data Strategy?

A Citywide Data Strategy is a three-year vision and actionable plan designed to advance each city's use of data and improve city outcomes. The Citywide Data Strategy will serve as the central tool to activate change within a city and the core components include the following: 

• Governance: establish a data governance process that sets and enforces data  standards and practices for the enterprise with engagement from senior leadership.   
• Quality: increase the completeness,  accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of city data and mitigate risks of bias in data  collection or use. 
• Use: develop or improve plans for how to use the data to regularly inform city  management and day-to-day decision-making.
• Capacity: designate or elevate a senior leader (Chief Data Officer) and team  responsible for expanding the use of data. 
• Transparency: determine how data will be shared with internal and  external stakeholders.

What types of cities qualify?

Cities best suited for this program will meet the following qualifications:

• Mid-sized to large city (>100,000 residents.);
• Bold mayoral ambition for how data and artificial intelligence can drive better results for residents;
• A mayor with at least two years left in office; and 
• Strong foundations of data use already in place across city hall and agencies.

Have questions? Contact our team at DataAlliance [at] bloomberg.org (DataAlliance[at]bloomberg[dot]org)