By Polly M. Talen, Knight Foundation St. Paul Program Director

Keeping communities informed and engaged is a key tenet of Knight Foundation. This month Polly Talen, Knight Foundation St Paul Program Director, writes of this mission, its execution and impact for the Minnesota Council on Foundations. Talen references Random Acts of Culture™ and the Minnesota State Fair’s first Giant Sing Along, among other projects. Read below for an excerpt and click here to read the complete story:

Cross-posted from the Minnesota Council on Foundations:

You might have heard something on Minnesota Public Radio about supporting journalism in the digital age. Possibly you’ve experienced a Random Act of Culture or participated in the Minnesota State Fair’s first Giant Sing Along. Or maybe you heard about a group of foundations and civic leaders working to ensure that the new Central Corridor light rail line provides opportunity for all of Saint Paul’s residents, especially those living in neighborhoods adjacent to the new line.

What do these have in common? They are all the work of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Headquartered in Miami, with offices in St. Paul and seven other cities, Knight Foundation (not to be confused with The McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis) was founded in 1950 by two newspapermen, John and James Knight. Since then, the foundation’s assets have grown to $2.4 billion. And true to the brothers’ life work, the foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged.