The new Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative brings nation’s most effective local solutions to City of Columbia City hall, one of up to 30 municipalities selected
City of Columbia among the first U.S. local governments named
(Columbia, SC) – Mayor Daniel Rickenmann announced that the City of Columbia is among the first U.S. local governments selected for Bloomberg Philanthropies new housing initiative, one of 15 cities who will receive resources and expertise to unlock supply for residents.
“Columbia is committed to meeting our community’s growth by bringing together every part of local government and our external partners to expand access to affordable housing,” said Mayor Daniel Rickenmann of Columbia, SC. “This Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative will accelerate our efforts and connect us with peers nationwide who are demonstrating how mayors can turn innovative strategies into results-driven solutions.”
As America confronts a severe shortage of homes, and Washington responds with its first comprehensive housing legislation in decades, the Bloomberg Philanthropies effort will move three of the nation’s most effective local housing solutions from the city halls that pioneered them – Atlanta, Austin, and San Diego – to 15 more cities across the country.
“City halls are taking local action to increase the housing supply and ease the shortage that is driving up rents and leaving the dream of home ownership out of reach,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City. “As local governments address this issue, we have a great opportunity to spread the best ideas across the country. That is what this initiative is all about: helping more mayors adopt proven ways of getting more housing built—and delivering.”
After more than a decade of underbuilding, the country faces a housing shortfall that reaches nearly every region and income level. Construction of starter homes—those under 1,400 square feet—has collapsed from more than a third of new single-family building in the 1970s to roughly one in ten today. Some 8.1 million families now share a home with people outside their household because they cannot find another within their means. For the lowest-income renters, just 35 affordable homes exist for every 100 who need one.
The pattern repeats in community after community: rent growth outrunning wages growth, commutes lengthening, and home ownership arriving later in life—if it arrives at all. Much of what drives the crisis—rising rents, interest rates, construction costs, land prices—sits beyond any one jurisdiction’s control. But the levers local government does hold are among the most consequential: what may be built, where it may be built, and how quickly it is approved. Several U.S. mayors have pulled those levers with striking results, and their examples help answer how more housing in America actually gets built. That broader effort is gaining backing from private companies, civic associations, and nonprofits. This commitment from Bloomberg Philanthropies joins them with the best of what municipal innovation offers: the means to take the headway city halls have already made much further.
Within two years, the City of Columbia will produce meaningful results and position itself to capitalize on federal policy. The ROAD to Housing Act creates new incentives for these same reforms—modernized permitting, pre-approved housing plans, activated public land—and rewards the localities prepared to carry them out. That readiness is what the initiative helps mayors build: plans on paper, policy in place, and staff to execute when national investment arrives.
The initiative, part of the organization’s longstanding Government Innovation portfolio, will be housed within its Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, the first effort of its kind moving what works in one municipality to where it is needed next. More than 1,000 city halls from 95 countries—serving over 745 million residents—take part in the Idea Exchange today, with nearly 200 replications complete or underway.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2025, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $4.3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.