The city of Netanya is one of 24 winning cities in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge competition, the organization announced in a Tuesday statement.
In its sixth iteration, Bloomberg Philanthropies said the challenge “awarded municipalities that have proposed and tested the best breakthrough ideas to bolster essential services at scale – including cooling homes, reducing waste, lowering utility costs, expanding transit, increasing jobs, and more."
Winning cities are set to receive $1 million, along with support for the implementation of the city’s winning vision. The organization said that “[the] winning ideas were ultimately chosen for their novelty, potential impact, and strength of implementation plans.”
According to the municipality, Netanya’s vision, dubbed "Kesher Nolad” (A Bond Is Born), has professionals in child development meet with parents and children at local parks, offering tools and guidance that may not be readily available to parents.
Netanya Mayor Avi Slama declared that Kesher Nolad would work to give every child an “equal opportunity” while strengthening the community.
Netanya launches Kesher Nolad to help children in public spaces
“The Kesher Nolad initiative was born out of the belief that our responsibility as a local authority is not to wait for challenges to arise, but to meet families and children where their lives take place — in public spaces — and to identify needs from early childhood,” he said in a statement.
Slama further attributed the initiative's development to the Municipality’s Quality and Strategic Planning Department and the Early Childhood Department, in collaboration with CIVIX and the Branco Weiss Education Network, among others.
Slama praised the win, calling the victory a “significant mark of excellence” for the city.
“For the first time,” he continued, “an Israeli city has been selected among the 25 most innovative cities in the world. This achievement reflects out-of-the-box thinking, professional execution, and a deep commitment to serving our residents.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies said the competition received over 630 applications, with 50 cities reaching the finalist stage. Each finalist received $50,000 and technical guidance to test their ideas and gather resident feedback.
Then, a committee comprising academics, former UN and government officials, and others selected 24 winning initiatives. Committee member Admiral Michael G. Mullen, President & CEO of MGM Consulting, praised the winning cities for what he called “rebuilding the machinery of government itself” and placing the needs and ideas of residents “at the center of delivery.”
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City, also lauded the winning cities’ initiatives.
“The most effective city halls are bold, creative, and proactive in solving problems and meeting residents’ needs – and we launched the Mayors Challenge to help more of them succeed,” he stated. “We look forward to supporting this year’s 24 winners as they bring their innovative projects to life – and to seeing their ideas spread to more cities around the world.”