Bloomberg Philanthropies, the nonprofit founded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, has announced that it will award at least three cities in the United States up to $1 million each over two years as part of its new Public Art Challenge. The funds will support temporary public art projects that engage communities, enhance creativity, and enrich the vibrancy of cities. Bloomberg Philanthropies is asking mayors or chief executives in cities with 30,000 or more residents to submit proposals for innovative temporary public art projects that demonstrate close collaboration between artists, or arts organizations, and city government. Submissions for visual and performing arts, including multimedia installations, will be considered.  

The Bloomberg Philanthropies grant will cover development, execution, and project related expenditures, but it will not fund all project costs. The organization hopes that the endeavor will help cities create strong, committed consortiums of arts supporters while fostering public-private partnerships between local government and other funders.