June 10, 2004 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced last month that it had received $15-million from an anonymous donor to support arts and social-services organizations in New York. But the donor is widely thought to be a man who usually maintains a high profile: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who, according to Business Week, has given an estimated $401-million in his lifetime to charity. His total wealth, which stems from his publishing fortune, is currently valued at approximately $4.9-billion.
Several publications in New York said unnamed sources close to the Mayor disclosed that he made the gift; however, neither the Mayor’s office nor the Carnegie Corporation would identify him as the donor.
Mr. Bloomberg reportedly has made other gifts to Carnegie. In 2002, the foundation received an anonymous gift of $10-million to support New York arts groups that suffered financial troubles in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks. In 2003, another anonymous gift of $10-million was made to support small to medium-sized arts organizations in New York. The corporation has never confirmed the identity of the donor, although Susan King, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said that Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie’s president, is a close and trusted friend of the donor.
