Opportunities
Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
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$1,000,000 per winning city
Global urban innovation competition where city governments compete to solve pressing urban challenges. Winning cities receive $1M plus two years of operational support, coaching, and dedicated staff funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Launched in 2013, the Mayors Challenge has run multiple cycles across the US, Europe, Latin America, and globally. The 2025-2026 cycle was the first truly global edition.
Cash Grant
$1,000,000 per winning city to implement the proposed innovation
Coaching and Support
Two years of dedicated coaching from Bloomberg Philanthropies' innovation delivery team
Dedicated Staff
Additional funding to hire staff dedicated to administering and scaling the program
Bloomberg Cities Network
Access to the global Bloomberg Cities peer network via Johns Hopkins University
Global Visibility
Media coverage through Bloomberg platforms and CityLab events
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Urban innovation broadly — solutions that increase public transit ridership, lower household energy costs, expand urban green space, speed service response, strengthen sanitation, improve youth safety, and safeguard water supply.
Bold, innovative ideas from city governments to solve pressing urban challenges. Strong emphasis on mayoral leadership, resident engagement, and solutions that can be prototyped and scaled. The 2025-2026 cycle received 630+ applications globally.
Two years of hands-on coaching from Bloomberg Philanthropies innovation delivery team, dedicated staff funding, access to Bloomberg Cities Network at Johns Hopkins, peer learning with other winning cities, ongoing technical assistance for implementation and scaling.
Check current fund status and deployment activity
This is NOT a startup competition — it funds city governments directly. However, startups working on urban innovation can partner with city governments to apply. African cities have won in recent cycles (Cape Town, Beira, Kanifing). If you have a civic tech or urban solution, approach your municipal government about co-applying in the next cycle. The prototype phase is critical — finalists must pressure-test ideas with residents before winning.
2013
Active Since
Yes
Deploying
Cape Town, South Africa — 2025-2026 winner; Beira, Mozambique — 2025-2026 winner; Kanifing Municipal Council, The Gambia — 2025-2026 winner (youth-led waste collection program); 630+ applications received in 2025-2026 cycle