Hizzoner Puts His Money Where His Budget Knife Is

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made a $20 million personal donation to the city’s arts groups through his preferred vehicle, the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Bloomberg has long been known as one of New York’s leading philanthropists, and while his donations to Carnegie have officially been anonymous, his willingness to spend his own considerable wealth on the arts has long been an open secret. “While the grants through Carnegie represent just a portion of the mayor’s overall philanthropy – last year he gave a total of about $140 million in donations to more than 800 institutions and groups – they are often vital to local groups that are struggling with fund-raising and, sometimes, have also struggled with budget cuts imposed by the Bloomberg administration.”