Calling Wal-Mart "one of the great corporate citizens in this country," Mayor Bloomberg announced today that the big-box chain and cheesy ham and hashbrown retailer is donating $4 million to the city's Youth Employment Program, part of a $5 million surge that will create 3,400 jobs for the program. Hmm, but isn't this donation suspiciously timed? Bloomberg says: who cares? According to City Room, the mayor was asked during the press conference if the donation had anything to do with the retailer's full-court-press to open stores in New York City, to which he replied, “You’re telling me that your company’s philanthropy doesn’t look to see what is good for your company?” more ›

Months after winning his third term, the NY Times reports that Mayor Bloomberg "is quietly pulling the plug on an unusual program that has poured nearly $200 million of his fortune into nonprofit groups across the five boroughs, in a sign of major change under way in his charitable giving plans." Which means that the many nonprofits that have benefited from his giving since 2001 are left worrying about what they'll do. more ›

In a year when charitable giving dropped among the nation's wealthiest people, Mayor Bloomberg handed out $254 million in donations—making him not only richest man in New York City but also the country's fourth biggest giver. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Bloomberg—who is worth an estimated $17.5 billion—donated money to 1,358 different nonprofits and dedicated $125 million to help six charities devise a plan to help reduce traffic accidents in developing countries. more ›

Philanthropy isn't totally dead: David Rubenstein, the Carlyle Group's managing director, donated $10 million to Lincoln Center's $1.2 billion redevelopment project. Previously, he's donated a copy of the Magna Carta to the National Archives and loaned a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation to the Smithsonian. Lincoln Center will be naming its new visitors-ticket center the "David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center" (formerly the Harmony Atrium). Rubenstein told the Times, “My view is, if you have money, you can spend it, you can save it, or you can give it away...I bought all the things I need to buy.” more ›

How much did you spend on lunch today? $10 for a salad at Chop't? $7.50 for a sandwich at Pax? A whopping $175 on the lunch tasting menu at per se? Regardless, if you set that amount of money aside tomorrow, May 14th, and donate it to City Harvest's Skip Lunch, Fight Hunger campaign, you can make a difference in the lives of hungry New Yorkers. more ›

Earlier this week, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously agreed to allow the main branch of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street to inscribe the name of a prominent donor, financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, multiple times on the library facade. The fabulously wealthy son of a grocer and co-founder of the Blackstone Group will have his name inscribed five times on the library’s façade as a shout-out for his $100 million unconditional gift to the NYPL. more ›

Eating out and being philanthropic may seem mutually exclusive, but there is a way the money you spend to eat out can help others at the same time. During the month of April, restaurants will pair up with the “Spring for City Harvest” campaign, each eatery offering special appetizers, entrees, desserts, and in some cases complete prix fixe menus. They will donate 10% of proceeds directly to City Harvest, where the money raised will be used to feed the city's hungry men, women and children. more ›

Now that there seems to be a compelling 2008 presidential race, Mayor Bloomberg's White House prospects appear diminished. And associates of the billionaire suggest to the NY Times that post-mayoral life may not be enough for Bloomberg. more ›

Mayor MIchael Bloomberg's largess makes him the country's seventh biggest charitable donor. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Top 50 Donor List (less sexy than the Forbes list, but possibly more worthy) notes he committed $205 million to various institutions last year. more ›

New York magazine has an extraordinary cover story on the life of Brooke Astor, months after the "doyenne" of the city's social scene passed away. It is a sordid tale of jealousy, greed, enmity, conflicting agendas, and familial conflict worthy of the most outlandish soap opera. Her son Tony is now under i investigation by a grand jury and control of her estate has passed to Astor's friend Annette de la Renta. The litany of... more ›

For an avowed non-presidential candidate, Mayor Bloomberg certainly gets more attention than some of the actual candidates. Newsweek devotes its cover story to "Mike" Bloomberg, "The Billion Dollar Wild Card," a reference to the billion dollars Mayor B has at his disposal, should be decide to run for president next year. That is so much more flattering than the "Lazy Like a Fox" cover Newsweek had of Fred Thompson! Newsweek editor-in-chief Jon Meacham got to... more ›

Brooke Astor's funeral service will be held tomorrow afternoon at Saint Thomas Church in Manhattan, but legal papers have already been filed contesting the doyenne of NYC philanthropy's will. Family and friends have been arguing about the legitimacy of Mrs. Astor's final will and testament for a while now, after major adjustments were made to the document in 2002 - a time when Astor was allegedly suffering from reduced competency - as well in the following years. more ›

Brooke Astor passed away today. A gentleman should never ask a lady her age, but once Brooke Astor passed the century mark, she probably didn't care who knew how old she was. Brooke Astor was the wife of Vincent Astor, the only son of John Jacob Astor IV, who died in the sinking of the Titanic. The Astor family's roots stretch back almost as far as the history of New York City itself. The subway station at Astor Place in Manhattan is decorated with beavers, the animal whose pelt was the foundation of the family fortune before John Jacob Astor began buying large swathes of New York real estate. more ›

Can't a guy change his website without people suddenly asking questions about it? Well, if you're the billionaire mayor of the country's largest city who may or may not have presidential/gubernatorial leanings, then no. And not when he announces to to the press, either. more ›

We love scurrilous political gossip! The NY Post's Fred Dicker says that Mayor Bloomberg wants to run for Governor in 2010! For some reason, Mayor Mike thinks that Albany might be his kind of town. A "senior" Republican source spills the beans:

"On two occasions in recent weeks, the mayor brought up the possibility of running for governor, of running against Spitzer in 2010. more ›

...back to the French Quarter, NOLA, that is: Next Monday the 12th from 6-8 pm at ACME Bar and Grill, join forces with the Culinary Corps, a group wielding a powerful combination of outreach, philanthropy, and culinary prowess -- something their website has dubbed “culanthropy.” In order to raise funds for their inaugural service-oriented trip to New Orleans taking place later this month, the group will host a light-duty fund-raiser at ACME; door prizes, such as a mind-blowing, year-long subscription to the “cookie of the month club,” and a dinner for two at L’Ecole at the French Culinary Institute with Sommelier’s Choice wine pairing, will be up for grabs. Snacks and one free drink are included with the $20 donation price of entry. more ›

There's an interesting NY Times New York region op-ed that's supportive of marketing ventures most anywhere, like Geico's unsuccessful George Washington Bridge toll plaza marketing deal. more ›

After pointedly saying that it was easy for drivers to move their cars during the midweek snow-and-ice storm and that parking tickets would stand, Mayor Bloomberg backtracked and said tickets issued for alternate side of the street violations on Thursday and Friday would be forgiven (the message is also there on 311). The Mayor begrudgingly said he was sorry during his radio program yesterday:

I’m sorry for the inconvenience to people, but you know you have to make decisions, and each of these storms is different......In retrospect, in some parts of the city there was not that much snow, and in other parts it probably really was an imposition. We did get a lot of calls and listened very carefully to what the Sanitation Department heard, to what our Community Assistance Unit heard, took a look at what calls came into 311.

The Rockefeller Foundation, which played a role in funding Jane Jacobs's pioneering research and writing 50 years ago, will now support her legacy by issuing two annual award grants in her honor. According to the NY Sun, one recipient will have made a lifetime contribution to urban design or theory, specifically in New York City, and the other will be on the cusp of a promising career. Each award is worth $200,000. more ›

This week's New York cover story is about Mayor Bloomberg's presidential possibilities. It's a great look at how far the Mayor has come from the dog days of 2003 when his approval ratings were in the 20-30 point range and how, somehow, many New Yorkers seem to like Mike.

It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day, and Bloomberg and I are having lunch (though his idea of lunch is coffee and a slice of incinerated toast) at a diner in Tribeca. Bloomberg is dressed in a charcoal suit, a pink pin-striped shirt, and a pale-blue tie patterned with tiny yellow snails. He’s telling me a story about what a fabulous time he had the day before at the West Indian–American Day parade in Brooklyn—but the real subject is the affection, nay the devotion, the city has come to feel for him. more ›

Playstation 3, $2500, by Matt Law.
more ›

Government and World Trade Center Memorial Foundation officials tell the media that Mayor Bloomberg will become the head of the troubled foundation. Earlier this year, after the foundation stopped its fundraising efforts when estimated costs for the project spiraled out of control, Mayor Bloomberg wasn't very happy. And whadya know, he "secretly" donated $10 million to the foundation this summer - ain't that a coincidence, though at least the Mayor is putting his money where his mouth is. The appointment isn't official and already has some opposition, but Pataki said yesterday that if the Mayor did become the head, raising the millions and millions for the memorial might just be easier since he has "a proven success record at philanthropy." Yes, because Mayor Bling's got big pockets! But Mayor Bloomberg's Rolodex is pretty extensive, so it does make some sense. more ›

There is a lot to be said about Warren Buffett's announcement that most of his billions-of-dollars fortune will be given to charities, with particular focus on giving about $31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And we hope his actions, as well as those of the Gateses, reverbate through billionaire and millionaire circles, because giving back to the world that made them rich makes sense - tax incentives or no. For instance, when Ted Turner donated $1 billion to the U.N. in stock, he said, "When I got my statement in January. I was worth $2.2 billion. Then I got another statement in August that said I was worth $3.2 billion. So I figure its only nine months' earnings, who cares?" more ›

...but what does that really mean? Sure, the Mayor announced that if NY State's Court of Appeal decides that gay marriages are legal, then NYC will perform them, but the Mayor has always felt that way. Back in 2004, when the issue got hot with gay marriages being performed in San Franciso and New Paltz, NY, Mayor Bloomberg refused to go along, saying that he would follow NY State law. (Attorney General Eliot Spitzer didn't stop the New Paltz marriages, saying he had "no problem with gay marriage.") However, that was before his 2005 election, so who knows what he would have done if the issue came up during his second term; just yesterday, he said on his radio program, "The U.S. Constitution should be something that unites, rather than divides Americans. I do not believe that government should be in the business of telling people who they can and can't marry." more ›

Billionaire developer and owner of U.S. News & World Report and the Daily News Mortimer Zuckerman has donated $100 million to Memorial Sloan-Kettering for cancer research. The NY Times says it's the biggest in the hospital's history, and one of the largest to a medical institutiong overall. Since the donation is unrestricted, MSK will be putting most of it towards their new research building on First Avenue and East 68th Street. The 23 floor building, designed by Skidmore Owings Merrill, will be named after the mogul. Zuckerman said, "New York is a city that inspires philanthropy. There are more people who support more eleemosynary institutions than any other place by far. It's one of the reasons I love this city." Yeah, we had to look that up too, but, hey, big word for big donation. more ›

Among our favorites stories about this city are ones about our billionaire mayor's reluctant Republicanism. Or conveinent Republicanism - take your pick. Sure, the Mayor may have switched to be a Republican to win the mayoral nomination, and he may have made the city host the 2004 Republican National Convention, but he really hates the NY State Republicans, especially after the little support they show the city year after year. So, reading that Mayor Bloomberg might help a Democratic Queens city councilman win a NY State Senate seat is very intriguing. The NY Times reported that City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. has been talking to mayoral aides about possibly challenging Queens incumbent Senator Serphin Maltese. The NY State Republicans are upset and freaked out by this possibility, because Bloomberg controls a lot of money - and might be able to influence his highrolling Democratic friends to help out an Addabbo campaign. This is but one of the Mayor's many ways of showing he's no Republican stooge, though he acts like it sometimes: He donated $100 million to his alma mater - and some of it will go towards programs that have stem cell research - and he hates the NRA so much that he has his flacks defending his girlfriend's honor. more ›

Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent his post-election day basking in his resounding victory, traveling the city (hugging wellwishers, photo ops with kids, buying pastries), promising that he would turn to a career of philanthropy after his second term is over in 2009. And he did work some. The NY Times dives into the voting returns, and says that he "crossed ehtnic barriers" for his win: Estimates say that Bloomberg got about half of the black vote, and about 30% of the Latino vote, giving him a "winning multiethnic coalition," and disproving that minorities always vote as a bloc. (Here are some more numbers from the NY Post.) However, Fernando Ferrer-supporter, the Reverend Al Sharpton, pointed out that many low income neighborhoods voted heavily for Ferrer, showing that there "really are two New Yorks." more ›

New York City lost an important philanthropist Thursday morning in an apparent suicide . Arthur Zankel, 73, a former Citigroup board member and vice chairman of Carnegie Hall, jumped from a ninth-floor stairwell window into an inner courtyard of his Fifth Ave. apartment building. He was discovered later that day and taken to New York-Presbyterian. He had not left a note. more ›

The hits keep coming for former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer: City Councilman Charles Barrons says Ferrer should get out of the mayoral race and support Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia's Field mayoral bid. Barron says Ferrer is "free-falling and it's not going to stop." For his part, Ferrer says he has a right to run. And, Gothamist would imagine, a right to lose. But things aren't that cheery for Ferrer, not to mention the other Democratic challengers. There's a NY Times article about NYC Democrats hoping for a stronger candidate to emerge from somewhere else (Al Sharpton! Bill Clinton!), followed by an item on how mustaches aren't taken very seriously:

Indeed, in some political circles, Mr. Ferrer is being compared to Groucho Marx and some consultants are saying that the real lessons that he should absorb from the recent win of the clean-shaven Antonio Villaraigosa in Los Angeles are his grooming habits.

So you’ve been good all week. Brought lunch to work, only drank during happy hour specials and cabbed it only in dire situations (read: heels over 4 inches or 2 minutes until the game starts). Now you have that extra $225 burning a hole in your pocket and you’re just not sure how to spend it. Ok, so maybe you have a few ideas on how to spend - but come on, how many Derek Jeter bobble heads do you really need? more ›