Bloomberg Philanthropies' 2019 Annual Report: Michael R. Bloomberg’s Annual Letter on Philanthropy
New York, NY – In Michael R. Bloomberg’s new letter on philanthropy, released as part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2019 annual report, he writes, “Every day, the window for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change grows smaller. More Americans lose loved ones to opioid overdoses and gun violence. More students miss out on a good education and the opportunity to go to college. And communities that were once home to thriving industries slip further behind in the changing economy. Proposing ideas for 2021 isn’t good enough. We need to get things done in the here and now, and I’m lucky enough to be in a position to help that.”
In the report, Bloomberg highlights some of the ways Bloomberg Philanthropies is tackling urgent issues across its five program areas – Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health: Launching the $500 million Beyond Carbon campaign to accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy; supporting Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, which push state and city leaders to pass bills and take executive action on common-sense gun rules; creating a blueprint to attack the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania and Michigan, from which other states can learn; building programs to provide virtual college advising to more high-achieving lower-income high school students and then have them enroll in, and graduate from, the nation’s top colleges; strengthening mayors’ ability to lead and manage their cities; and supporting American cities striving to bring new vitality to their communities through public art.
In her annual CEO letter, Patricia E. Harris discusses how much progress is possible globally when strong collaborations, especially between philanthropy and government, are formed. She points to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partnership with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health to provide desperately needed maternal medical care to a community of women in Kigoma, Tanzania, and then how the program was turned over to the national government to lead. Harris writes, “In all of our work, we look for strong partners, try innovative solutions, follow the data, and spread what is proven to work...