What We Fund
Engaged Communities
Browse ProjectsFeatured
Featured Engaged Communities Projects (3 of 3,673)
Browse ProjectsCentral Corridor Funders Collaborative
To support an informed and engaged approach to transit-oriented community development through the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative (CCFC)
Do Something
To support the development of an SMS-based mobile platform designed to increase the number of teenagers engaged in community service and to keep them active and engaged
Code for America
To support our strategy of investing in citizen-centered solutions in three Knight communities by piloting the Code for America model, which deploys technology professionals to develop original solutions that engage citizens in community challenges
News & Updates
Get Updates On Engaged CommunitiesNews Releases
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City of Macon Welcomes Code for America Fellows
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500 plus Miami elementary students receive laptops, training
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Project brings 2012 campaign spenders to light
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Twenty black men recognized for making Detroit and Philadelphia stronger
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National contest offers community foundations matching funds for local news and information projects
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Miami Science Museum receives $10 million from Knight Foundation for new building in downtown Miami
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Community Foundation of Greater South Wood County changes name, not mission
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FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Knight Foundation announce winners of the first-of-its-kind 'Apps for Communities Challenge'
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Unique, joint newsroom will help increase local journalism in Macon
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Hatch Detroit to engage Detroiters in leading the growth of local retail
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Best ideas for the South Florida arts receive $2.9 million in funding
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Change By Us, an innovative online platform to foster civic engagement, goes open source
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New, Knight-funded site allows Philadelphia residents to take active role in improving city
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Knight Commission Calls for Examination of College Sports Governance, While Recognizing NCAA Steps Toward Reform
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Knight Foundation to help coordinate national broadband adoption effort
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New Models for Arts Journalism Receive Funding
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Community foundations increase impact by supporting local news and information projects
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Matt Haggman named Miami Program Director for Knight Foundation
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Knight Foundation brings Code for America to Detroit, Macon and Philadelphia
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NCAA Adopts Long-Standing Knight Commission Proposal on Academic Threshold for Participation in Postseason Championships
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Campaign celebrates unsung heroes among black men and boys
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Announcing the Winners of the Fourth Round of the Knight Neighborhood Challenge
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New tech initiative to help engage and empower San Jose and Silicon Valley community
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Knight Foundation, TakingITGlobal, and the Global Youth Action Network launch new initiative to strengthen Youth Movements
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Community Centers Key to New Effort to Engage Buchtel Residents in Neighborhood’s Future
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New tech initiative to help engage and empower San Jose and Silicon Valley community
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Micro loans to help Detroit small businesses
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Texting to turn-on teens to doing good
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Knight Foundation helps bring Code for America to Macon
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Innovative e-mentoring program will help improve lives of black boys
Knight Blog
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Meet the Detroit BME Leadership Award winners
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Unlocking Citizen Philanthropy in Detroit
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Knight Community Info Challenge winners reflect a broad range of ideas and projects
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Teaching digital literacy through game design
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Community Foundation of Greater South Wood County changes name to reflect the scope of its work
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Miami school gets One Laptop Per Child to help raise digital literacy
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Four ideas on how tech can increase civic engagement
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Real time analysis of campaign ads will help inform voters before they head to polls
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Foundations that focus on a place are eligible for the Knight Community Information Challenge
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Knight Community Information Challenge - A way to promote community engagement with news, info
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Bringing opera to new audiences in Charlotte
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UNC workshop to search for ways to increase accountability journalism
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Award recognizes leadership and contributions of Knight Commission on Athletics and The Admiral Center
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Knight Community Information Challenge now accepting applications
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Behind the scenes of @communityapps
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Akron collaborative forms its first medical device company
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Haiti earthquake illustrated ways new technolgy aids in disaster relief
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Akron media center and website engage residents in new digital storytelling
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The new mobile giver and the story behind millions in donations by text for Haiti
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The Wall: "a cutting-edge tool for civil debate"
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Engagement Commons: A new tool to empower civic engagement
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Increasing digital and media literacy in Charlotte
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Transforming downtown Miami into a center of science, art and learning
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Three tech firms picked for Philadelphia media innovation incubator
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Apps for Communities Challenge celebrates winners
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Apps for Communities: making local information actionable
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Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University
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Why journalists should weigh in on FCC disclosure rules — while there’s still time
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Uncle Luke goes to Sundance
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Soul of the Community study spurs resident-driven agenda for Arizona
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RT @arouault: Good times today with @mayordavebing and @rsjaitly of the Knight Foundation in Detroit. @codeforamerica #cfadetroit
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Students participate in Digital Learning Day, celebrate using tech to strengthen learning http://t.co/gi73itdc #DLDay v/ @Idit @globaloria
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RT @BMEChallenge: Great pix from this AM's @FM98WJLB radio interviews w/ #Detroit BME Leadership Award Winners http://t.co/Y21qoyTW
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MT @amystarlight: Symposium on #philanthropy & local accountability journo today @Cronkite_ASU http://t.co/Y6jMWVUO
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MT @sunlightlabs: Nice turnout at @scraperwiki #jdcny event & this is only 1/2 the folks that are busily scraping away http://t.co/D41EID8y
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@mobilemediakit Thanks for the #FF!
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A list of 7 helpful tech resources for nonprofits http://t.co/idLSXWG4 v/ @fdncenter #philanthropy #nptech
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A city that has the potential, tools & credible plan for transforming its core, @upakron continues to build its case http://t.co/xQaSzIbz
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#Journos talking about a basic q of digital age: How can they go beyond informing communities to actually engage them? http://t.co/GDb1bgHf
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RT @SusanEMcG: Tow Center/ScraperWiki datacamp is officially underway! Can't wait to see all the great work that comes out of it. #jdcny
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Journalism data camp today w/ #newschallenge winner @scraperwiki http://t.co/zsdKa6ZC Follow along w/ #cujtow #jdcny via @jsb
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Tune in to @fm98wjlb & listen to interviews w/ the 10 Detroit @BMEChallenge Leadership Award Winners! http://t.co/hqqoVSBA
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RT @Cronkite_ASU: @knightfdn symposium at Cronkite School tomorrow on philanthropy & local nonprofit journalism. http://t.co/HoFKN0Pt
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Reporters, editors, citizen journalists & bloggers eligible for int'l #journo award. Noms accepted 'til 2/27 http://t.co/pBk3CtEv via @icfj
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Congrats @DAFrizzG for being featured in @PhillyWeekly's 'The Faces Issue: Celebrating Black History Month' http://t.co/Wu4Vdj0Y
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Tom. meet the 10 @BMEChallenge #Leadership Award Winners in-person in Detroit http://t.co/9HXQfjZt Radio interviews on @fm98WJLB
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RT @jczamora: #toolofday freeDive allows anyone to create a database, search & play w/ that data http://t.co/aeqyayWq v @KDMCinfo #opendata
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#opengov survey by @NSArchive finds slow #FOIA response times, some "in limbo" http://t.co/y8SImF6M via @amystarlight
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Via @higherawesome: 5 ways microgrants help fund #journalism http://t.co/ZufLbbeu h/t @civicMIT
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Got ideas on media innovation and the future of news? Join us in Austin for #SXSW http://t.co/HUp0F7eJ
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This is what #philanthropy looks like when you tap into the passion of people who want to better their community http://t.co/yC4g1s4C
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Data suggest more and more people are visitng news websites - and they're staying longer http://t.co/YUhY54WS h/t @NiemanLab
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Today @Globaloria classes opened their doors to share w/ others! See photostream on flickr: http://t.co/dCtwClFs @DLDay2012 #DLDay
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Great pic of @DLDay2012 via @Idit: Jayla, 7th grader, Christopher MS, proudly showing her math game 2 her family http://t.co/QT1CYzq6
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Studies show @UpAkron's community development plan can be transformational http://t.co/MfRH7qwn #Akron
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Join @knightfdn at @SXSW Interactive http://t.co/HUp0F7eJ by @jczamora #journalism #innovation #SXSW
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Have q's about Knight's Community Info Challenge? Ask them next Wed 2/8 at 12pm during live web chat http://t.co/2TleP5PB
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2k+ youth in 60 schools in @Globaloria network mark #DLDay by virtually & physically opening its game design classes http://t.co/mS4vsgUc
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#Haiti fundraising campaign post earthquake was a success in large part due to planning http://t.co/h1ppwvHU by @Afine #philanthropy
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Don't miss today's deadline for #journalism fellowships at @stanford & @umich http://t.co/yW2iU0CS - http://t.co/ZeSs0kKj
Publications
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How people learn about their local community
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Leadership Profile: Community Foundation of New Jersey
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Leadership Profile: Silicon Valley Community Foundation
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Leadership Profile: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
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Opportunities for Leadership: Meeting Community Information Needs
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Re-Imagining Journalism: Local News for a Networked World
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University Park Alliance Revitalization
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Libraries Initiative
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KaBOOM!
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General Assessment Resources & Tools
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Connected Citizens: The Power, Potential and Peril of Networks
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Civic Engagement and Community Information: Five Strategies to Revive Civic Communication
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Opportunities for Foundation Leadership: Meeting Community Information Needs 2010
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Government Transparency: Six Strategies for More Open and Participatory Government
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Knight Community Information Challenge Assessment
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Impact: A Guide to Evaluating Community Information Projects
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Community Information Toolkit Version 1.0 Preview
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How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems
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Creating Local Online Hubs: Three Models for Action
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Reports from the Field 2011
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Journalism and Media Grantmaking
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Medya, Sistèm Enfòmasyon ak Kominote: Leson nou Aprann ann AYITI
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Rethinking Public Media: More local, More Inclusive, More Interactive
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College Access & Success System Study: Philadelphia and Miami
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Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action
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State of Funding in Information and Media Among Community and Place-based Foundations
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Universal Broadband: Targeting Investments to Deliver Broadband Services to All Americans
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Scene Changer: The Story of 1stACT Silicon Valley
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Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics: Restoring the Balance
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Community and Place-Based Foundations and the KCIC
In The News
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Computer programmers to streamline Macon government
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The Faces Issue: Celebrating Black History Month
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New Detroit initiative offers fundraising help to budding philanthropists
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Miami-Dade students in Liberty City get free laptops
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Black Male Engagement's Detroit grant winners announced
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Teacher, veteran among black men honored for leadership
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Code For America Detroit fellows have big plans for 2012
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Silicon Valley Education Foundation arms middle-schoolers for college track classes
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Knight Foundation grant could mean $30M for Miami science museum
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Black Male Engagement amplifies Detroiters' good deeds
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Mind Your Business: Media partnership in Middle Georgia a winning bet
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‘Medical school model’ brings newspaper, radio station and university together
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Knight funds collaborative reporting center in Georgia
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Knight-funded Code for America gets $1.5M grant from Google
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Amy Perko's passion as a player and administrator lead to major NCAA honor
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Art Basel more than arts, it’s an investment in Miami’s civic life
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Telling the placemaking story
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Big expansion, big questions for Teach for America
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Knight-Backed Local News Site ‘Brooklyn Bureau’ Launches
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Knight Foundation merging media, minds, and money
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Knight Neighborhood Challenge in the College Hill Corridor
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A Scandal is a test of bonds old and new
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NCAA’s Mark Emmert calls for tougher academic standards for athletic programs
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Building blocks for 50 blocks: University Park in Akron
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Techies Embed in City Hall
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Library program empowers tech teens to tell their stories
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Akron Children’s Hospital President Bill Considine joins Knight Foundation board
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International firm’s partnership is “jolt” for University Park Alliance plans
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Massive redevelopment coming near Ohio’s University of Akron
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F.C.C. Expanding Efforts to Connect More Americans to Broadband
About our Engaged Communities Strategy
To help sustain healthy communities in a democracy, Knight aims to increase the ability of individuals to engage in change. Knight fosters initiatives that develop in people a strong sense of belonging and caring, timely access to relevant information, the ability to understand that information, and the motivation, opportunity and skills to take sustainable action on a range of issues throughout their lives.
Knight Foundation fosters innovative approaches to increasing engagement skills in the community development field. The foundation funds programs that use technology to foster engagement. It supports individuals as agents for engagement, with a focus on youth leadership, social entrepreneurs and local institutions. Knight supports naturalization campaigns to increase the number of citizens who are highly motivated to engage with their communities.
Part of Knight’s activities focuses on 26 communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers, with donor-advised programs in 18 and program director-led programs in the eight ”resident Knight communities” (Akron, Ohio, Charlotte, N.C., Detroit, Mich., Macon, Ga., Miami, Fla., and Philadelphia, Pa.).
Knight experiments with innovative approaches to community engagement such as engaging community foundations nationwide in addressing community information needs, using community-wide social games to bring residents together, and partnering with local and national agencies to get more black males engaged in their communities.
The foundation has invested more than $841 million in its communities program since 1950.
Engaged Communities Project Categories
Resident Communities
Nonresident Communities
Engaged Communities Initiatives
Black Males Initiative
Vision: We envision black men and boys leading in solutions, participating in decision-making and fully engaged in all issues and opportunities affecting their communities.
Strategy: To get there, Knight opens up opportunities for everyone to get involved. We partner with and support ideas from leading national networks, local organizations and yes, even regular every day people.
Staff
Trabian Shorters
VP/Communities
Meredith Hector
Assistant to the VP / Communities
Bahia Ramos Synnott
Dir./Community Fdns
Beverly Blake
Program Director / Macon
Chris Vastine
Executive Assistant
Donna Frisby-Greenwood
Program Director / Philadelphia
Gabriella Parlapiano
Assistant
Jennifer A. Thomas
Program Director / Akron
Judith Kleinberg
Program Director / San Jose/Silicon Valley
Matt Haggman
Program Director / Miami
Polly M. Talen
Program Director / St. Paul
Rishi S. Jaitly
Program Director / Detroit
Susan Patterson
Program Director / Charlotte
Paula Ellis
VP/Strategic Initiatives
Damian Thorman
National Program Director
Jeff Coates
Strategic Initiatives Associate
Brett Hudson
National Urban Fellow
Laura Yribia
Assistant
Knight Foundation