Twenty-one Americans gave at least $100-million to charitable causes last year, breaking a new record in philanthropic giving, according to The Chronicle's annual ranking of the 60 most-generous Americans. In 2005, 11 people gave that much. Michael R. Bloomberg (No. 9), mayor of New York and founder of the financial-data and news-service business that bears his name, donated $165-million to 1,000 charities that he declined to identify by name.... continue

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced plans to build a major new facility on Fifth Avenue for the Museum for African Art, the only independent museum in the United States dedicated solely to African art. The Museum, to be located at the corner of 110th Street, will extend the City’s storied Museum Mile and create a "cultural gateway" to Harlem, generating substantial economic activity for the area.... continue

Deal Will Expand Merit Based Funding for City’s Non-profit Cultural Community; Four-part Agreement Also Includes Baseline Funding for Parks and Childcare, and Reform of Capital Budget... continue

The following is the text of Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City Address as delivered at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn.... continue

Wealthy philanthropists and donors of average means today have unprecedented opportunities to improve the lives of poor people in the United States and around the world, Bill Clinton, the former president, told a conference held here last week to honor the donors who appear on The Chronicle's annual list of the most-generous contributors in America.... continue

New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg announces that city will create new office to 'aggressively pitch New York City around world as nation's art and cultural capital'; office will be part of city's Economic Development Corporation and will help nonprofit organizations cope with high costs that threaten their survival... continue

Under Mr. Bloomberg, public art has flourished in every corner of the city -- from "Element E," a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture in the center of the former Tweed Courthouse, to a classic limestone statue in the Bronx, to "The Gates," set up by Christo and Jeanne-Claude last winter in Central Park, a project for which he personally lobbied for almost a decade.... continue

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today presented the 22nd Annual Doris C. Freedman Award to New York artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, creators of The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005.... continue

As a result of an array of State and City tax incentives aimed at spurring television and film production, New York City is quickly expanding its entertainment sector, adding jobs and economic activity to the local economy.... continue

With 45 television cameras in front of him and a view of bright orange vinyl gates stretching through Central Park behind him, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that the city expected an infusion of $80 million in tourism and other spending by people flocking to see "The Gates," the vast public art project by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.... continue

The following is the text of Mayor Bloomberg’s 2002 State of the City Address.... continue