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Date: 24 February 2026
Belfast has been selected as one of only 24 cities worldwide to receive $1 million (approximately £750,000) through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge 2025 - 2026, supporting an ambitious programme to transform how the council and neighbourhoods work together to manage and improve the network of alleyways across the city.
The funding will support council to redesign a core service using innovative, community-driven approaches and use these public spaces as a testbed for a new, scalable model of community service delivery.
Selected from more than 630 applications worldwide and 50 global finalists, Belfast is among a cohort of cities representing 20 countries and more than 35 million residents.
This follows extensive community engagement carried out during the Bloomberg-supported development phase, including an online survey, conversational AI agent presented as a wheelie bin and a series of face-to-face engagement sessions. These conversations confirmed strong public interest in being more involved in shaping and caring for shared spaces close to home, while recognising that every alleyway, and every community need is different.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, with Shane McLaughlin who has been working with his wife, Olivia McIntyre, to regenerate an alley in the Stranmillis area which has been named Foxglove Alley.
Belfast’s proposal will focus on redesigning how the council and communities collaborate and will introduce new tools and mechanisms such as local resource hubs, using recycled materials, digital and data tools, and small grants to support resident-led action. Together, these elements aim to move away from reactive responses toward a more sustainable way of maintaining alleyways.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, said: “This is a significant achievement for Belfast and a real endorsement of our ambition to deliver services differently. The Bloomberg Mayors Challenge is about innovation, learning and putting neighbourhoods at the heart of decision-making, and this award gives us the space to do exactly that.
“Every neighbourhood is different, and that’s the strength of this approach. This funding gives us a blank canvas to work with residents, listen to their ideas and support solutions that make sense locally, rather a one-size-fits-all model across the city.
“The programme will be tested initially, helping us to refine approaches to waste management, environmental improvement, community stewardship and local decision-making. Learning from testing will then inform a longer-term citywide approach, encouraging Belfast residents work together to improve their neighbourhoods.”
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., and three-term mayor of New York City, said: “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.
“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.”
If you live near an alleyway and would like it to be considered as part of the Bloomberg-funded project, visit the Alleyways page on the council website for more information.
To learn more about the 50 finalist proposals, visit the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayor's Challenge website.