Bloomberg Mayors Challenge: Turku's revamped food aid model wins international award
As a result of the win, the implementation of the idea will receive one million dollars in funding, plus an additional 200,000 dollars to cover the salaries of staff involved in the project.
February 2026.- A model developed in Turku to reform food aid has been selected among the winners of the internationally respected Bloomberg Mayors Challenge innovation competition. As a result of the win, the implementation of the idea will receive one million dollars in funding, plus an additional 200,000 dollars to cover the salaries of staff involved in the project.
The aim of the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge competition is to accelerate innovations that improve residents’ lives around the world. The competition is held annually and is now being organised for the sixth time.
As one of the winning cities, Turku will receive funding from Bloomberg worth more than one million euros in total to implement a reform of food aid in the city, in which digital solutions, community meals and diverse support services are integrated into a seamless whole.
The need for food aid has grown in Turku in recent years, and support periods are becoming longer. According to Mayor Piia Elo, far too many people struggle with their problems in silence. With the reform, food aid will become a more structured and humane service — and at the same time a gateway to comprehensive support.
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"This reform is personally important to me because I want Turku to be a city where no one is left alone. A city where everyone is treated with dignity and where the community works together to solve not only the symptoms of poverty but also its root causes," Elo says.
24 winning cities from around the world
The Mayors Challenge 2025-2026 was launched in October 2024 at the Bloomberg CityLab event in Mexico City. More than 630 cities applied for the competition; first 50 finalists were selected and ultimately 24 winners. Winners were chosen based on the originality of their ideas, their potential impact, and the strength of their implementation plans.
"The winning cities demonstrate courage, creativity and initiative in solving local problems and responding to residents’ needs. It is great that we can support these innovations and see how the ideas spread to other cities around the world," says Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. and former Mayor of New York.
Already as a finalist, Turku received 50,000 dollars and technical guidance to build a prototype of the new service model and digital platform. This made it possible to gather valuable feedback from residents and refine the plans based on it.
With the win, Turku will now move forward with the reform of its food aid system. The goal for the coming months is to develop the service’s digital platform and to link food aid with other services such as employment, housing and mental health support.
"To succeed, we must understand how service guidance works in practice, what challenges exist and what personnel resources are needed. Bloomberg’s substantial award ensures the financial resources for our development work. I believe Turku’s new operating model will become an internationally followed example of a phenomenon-based solution to reducing poverty and social exclusion," says project director Niina Haukioja.
What is the reform of Turku’s food aid about?
Through the digital platform, clients can see in real time where food is available and reserve a pickup time or a place at a community meal. This helps avoid queues.In connection with food aid, the client is offered the opportunity to speak with a city specialist, if they wish.The discussion may lead to guidance toward other services that support everyday life.