Rio is among the 50 finalists from 33 countries with a project aimed at tackling extreme poverty through the integration of data and digital technologies

Mayor Eduardo Paes announced today that Rio de Janeiro has been selected as one of the 50 finalist cities in the sixth Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, a competition that fosters innovation in local government to improve the lives of residents in cities around the world. This edition of the competition highlights municipalities that have proposed bold ideas to strengthen essential public services. The 50 finalists were selected from over 630 applications and represent 33 countries and more than 80 million inhabitants.

As a finalist, the City of Rio will receive $50,000 to develop a prototype of its idea, which focuses on tackling extreme poverty through the integration of data and digital technologies. The project, created by IplanRio, the city's public technology company, proposes using Community Health Agents to map vulnerable families, integrating this information into the municipal DataLake and a generative AI (LLMs) capable of proactively connecting the most vulnerable citizens to essential public services.

City representatives will also participate in the Ideas Campin July, hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to refine and test their proposals with the help of experts and leaders from other cities. In January 2026, the 25 cities with the most promising ideas will each receive $1 million, along with technical support to implement their solutions.

“We are very proud to receive the news that Rio has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 Mayors Challenge, out of more than 600 cities worldwide. This recognition shows that Rio is on the right track. Today, we are an international reference in innovation and technology at the service of people. Our proposal was born from a close look at the needs of our most vulnerable population. We will use the strength of our Community Health Agents to identify and support at-risk families and connect this data to the CadÚnico. We are combining artificial intelligence with human care to bring City services to those who need them most. We are already expanding access to health, education, and transport. And now, with this simple, efficient, and accessible solution powered by technology, we will reach those who are often invisible. This is how we will ensure that no one is left behind.”said Mayor Eduardo Paes.

The 630 proposals received by the Mayors Challenge reflect some of the greatest challenges currently facing public services—and also reveal the creativity driving local governments around the world. For example, one-third of projects from North America propose solutions for housing; nearly half of the proposals from Africa address improvements in solid waste collection and management; and about 22% of European cities sought alternatives to reduce poverty or promote social inclusion.

The 50 finalist ideas were selected based on three criteria: originality, potential for impact, and feasibility of execution.

“Local government is where policy meets people—and where management transforms lives and builds trust”says James Anderson, head of the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “That is why municipal innovation isn't about grand gestures—it’s about solving complex problems with limited resources and under pressure. The Mayors Challenge finalists stand out for going beyond creativity: these are projects that consider the complexity of implementation and the urgency of residents' needs. They are ambitious yet realistic ideas, well-structured and with high potential for impact.”

The 50 finalist cities are: Abha (Saudi Arabia), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Ansan (South Korea), As-Salt (Jordan), Barcelona (Spain), Beaverton (USA), Beira (Mozambique), Belfast (UK), Benin City (Nigeria), Boise (USA), Boston (USA), Budapest (Hungary), Cap-Haïtien (Haiti), Cape Town (South Africa), Cartagena (Colombia), Cauayan (Philippines), Choma (Zambia), Cuenca (Ecuador), Detroit (USA), Fez (Morocco), Fukuoka (Japan), Ghaziabad (India), Ghent (Belgium), Greater Visakhapatnam (India), Helsinki (Finland), Honolulu (USA), Kanifing (Gambia), Kyiv (Ukraine), Lafayette (USA), Lower Hutt (New Zealand), Maceió (Brazil), Marseille (France), Medellín (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), Naga (Philippines), Ndola (Zambia), Netanya (Israel), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Pasig (Philippines), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), San Francisco (USA), Seattle (USA), Seoul (South Korea), Sialkot (Pakistan), Surabaya (Indonesia), South Bend (USA), Taipei (Taiwan), Toronto (Canada), Turku (Finland), and Yonkers (USA).

In this edition of the Mayors Challenge, more resources will be distributed and more cities will receive support than in previous editions, which awarded between 5 and 15 winners with technical support and $1 million. The competition builds on more than 10 years of Bloomberg Philanthropies' work supporting public innovation in cities. Over the course of five previous rounds, 38 winning cities have received funding and technical assistance to put their ideas into practice. The replication of these ideas has expanded the program's impact to more than 337 cities around the world, reaching over 100 million people.

IplanRio President João Carabetta highlights that this recognition from Bloomberg Philanthropies, following the one from Google Cloud, reaffirms that Rio de Janeiro is truly an international benchmark for innovation and technology in the service of people.

"We are incredibly proud that the city is a global finalist in the 2025 Mayors Challenge. The project reflects the effort and dedication of the talented IplanRio team, who created a project that combines technology with human care to bring essential services to those who need them most. We want to ensure that no one is left behind, making the invisible visible and proactively connecting them to public services.", said João Carabetta.

With the expansion of the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, the winning ideas from this and future editions of the Mayors Challenge will have even greater potential for scale, serving as models for local governments around the world.

📎 To learn more about the 50 finalist proposals, visit: mayorschallenge.bloomberg.org

📷 Photos of winning solutions from previous editions of the Mayors Challenge, courtesy of Bloomberg Philanthropies, are available for press use [ here].

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 five key areas: Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s philanthropic activities—including foundations, corporate and personal donations, and Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises governments worldwide. In 2024, the organization distributed $3.7 billion in grants. For more information, visit: bloomberg.org

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