Bloomberg Philanthropies – the charitable arm of Michael Bloomberg’s business empire – has announced that it has granted US$17m (€13.1m, £10.5m) in funding for digital projects in cultural institutions worldwide.

Formerly known as the Digital Engagement Initiative, the newly-rechristened Bloomberg Connects provides funding for the development of technology to increase access to cultural institutions and enhance visitor experiences.

As part of the rebranding, US$17m (€13.1m, £10.5m) has been committed to support the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Singapore's Gardens by the Bay and the Science Museum in London. The funds will be used to produce innovative projects which include immersive rooms, interactive devices and mobile applications that use cutting edge technology and enable visitors to share content.

"Everyone should have the opportunity to experience all that the arts have to offer, and technology can help make that possible by putting so much information right at our fingertips," said Michael Bloomberg. "Each of the institutions we're supporting is using technology in different ways to engage, educate, and immerse their visitors – and to make their world-class resources available to a greater number of people, more of the time."

The funding is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies' ongoing commitment to present cultural institutions around the world as technologically advanced visitor attractions.

Including the US$17m grant, the charity has donated US$83m (€64.1m, £51.4m) to cultural institutions since its inception in 1999, to a number of visitor attractions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Jewish Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, The New York Botanical Garden, and the Guggenheim Museum.