The latest round of winners of the Knight Community Information Challenge were announced today. The Challenge – a five-year, $24 million initiative that helps community and place-based foundations find and support local news and information projects – is part of a growing movement to help make sure residents are informed and engaged. According to the news release, “J-Lab, the Institute for Interactive Journalism, recently found that more than 207 foundations have funded $135.86 million in grants to 128 projects since 2005.”

Included in this round of KCIC winners are a diverse range of projects – from’raising public awareness on vital local issues to creating online community forums to stimulate dialogue among residents to conducting an online cultural treasure hunt. The list of winners also includes the Challenge’s first collaboration among several local foundations seeking to make a regional impact. From the news release:

‘Information is as important to a thriving democracy as clean air, jobs and schools. As leaders, local foundations are taking the initiative to meet those information needs,’ said Trabian Shorters , Knight Foundation’s vice president for communities, who leads the Challenge. ‘These projects help ensure that everyone has the information necessary to make decisions about their governments and their lives.’

You can read details about all of the winning projects at InformationNeeds.org.

Speaking of InformationNeeds.org, the site has been redesigned in conjunction with today’s announcement. There, you’ll not only find more information about the Challenge, but also information on the upcoming Media Learning Seminar, as well as plenty of archived video resources from past seminars.