The 2025 Challenge - Global Mayors Challenge
Global Mayors Challenge
Helping cities reimagine a core resident-facing service
Applications must focus on a "core city service," which we define as citywide, resident-facing, and that falls under municipal authority.
Bloomberg Philanthropies and its advisory council will select 25 winners based on three key criteria:
- Novelty
- Potential for impact
- Ability to deliver
In most cities, core city services include many of the following:
Public transportation
Public education
Public safety
Public libraries, parks, & recreation
Healthcare
Social services
Internet connectivity
Housing and shelter
Clean water, air, & infrastructure
Waste management and sanitation
Energy use
Economic and workforce development
The 2025 Competition Overview
Application Phase
Oct - Dec 2024
Cities apply to the Global Mayors Challenge by submitting a well thought through and novel idea for significantly improving a “core city service."
From Good to Great
Mar - Oct 2025
50 cities are selected as finalists and participate in design, prototyping, and implementation coaching. They receive $50,000 to strengthen their idea.
Winning Cities Phase
Oct 2025 - Dec 2027
25 cities are selected from the finalist pool as winners and receive $1 million in funding, dedicated project staff, and robust implementation support to launch their idea.
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October 16, 2024 |
Competition launch Cities with populations of 100,000 or more are invited to join the Mayors Challenge. |
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October - December 2024 |
Learn more and complete your application Cities will have access to support designed to guide them as they fill out their application. This includes workshops and office hours that will serve as a forum for application questions. |
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December 20, 2024 - 11:59 p.m. EST (December 21, 2024 - 04:59 a.m. UTC) |
Submit your idea |
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February 2025 |
50 finalists announced The 50 cities with the best ideas will advance in the competition. |
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March - July 2025 |
Take your idea from good to great 50 finalists will receive piloting funds and expert coaching to improve their ideas, starting with an in-person gathering — the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ prestigious Ideas Camp — to launch the work.
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July 2025 |
Resubmit your proposal Finalists resubmit their improved ideas. |
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October 2025 |
Winners announced 25 winning cities will receive $1M each in prize money, dedicated project staff, and dedicated coaching support. |
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January 2026 - December 2027 |
Bring your idea to life Winning cities receive expert support to implement their ideas at scale. |
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
What does core services mean?
A core service must be:
- city-wide
- resident-facing; and
- one which falls under municipal authority
Examples may include, but are not limited to: public transportation, public education, public safety, public libraries, parks, and recreation, healthcare, social services, internet connectivity, housing and shelter, clean water, air, and infrastructure, waste management and sanitation, economic and workforce development, and energy use.
How do I know if my idea is Mayors Challenge "innovative"?
You will ensure that the idea is:
- Novel: Is it novel or never-been-done before by any city?
- Doable: Can it actually be implemented?
- Impactful: Does this significantly benefit your residents?
How will winning ideas be selected?
We will gauge mayoral or chief executive commitment.
- Is the mayor or lead decision-maker in the city bought into and engaged in the team’s idea?
- Is solving the problem connected to a broader vision and set of leadership priorities for the city?
We will assess problem understanding.
- How strong is the team’s understanding of the problem?
- How big or impactful is the problem in the city?
- Is the problem and progress on solving it measurable?
- How aware is the team of past failure points and learning objectives to test?
We will assess innovation.
- Is the idea new and bold?
- Does the idea directly and clearly address the problem?
- Does the idea hold potential to significantly transform for the better a fundamental city service (e.g. sanitation)?
- How deep and/or broad is the potential for resident impact?
- Does the team have a good understanding of who they need to bring in for buy-in?
What if your city could:
- Reimagine urban planning through housing, public spaces or transportation?
- Revolutionize emergency response using robots or emerging technologies?
- Pioneer a service to address emerging climate impacts?
- Build the future of your city’s newest residents by ensuring meaningful livelihoods for them?
- Break through an intractable issue by bringing the right people to the table at the right moment?