The Knight Cities Challenge was an initiative to surface new ideas to advance the success of the cities where the Knight brothers once owned newspapers. From 2014-2017 the challenge awarded nearly $15 million to 99 winners. Although many projects are just getting underway, we’ve already been able to glean many lessons from the ideas and […]
Article · January 12, 2018 by George Abbott
Recently, I was lucky to join leaders from five Knight cities touring Denver, Colorado and Greenville, South Carolina with Smart Growth America’s Amazing Place Ideas Forum. Knight Foundation funded the Ideas Forum to demonstrate how smart investments in place can serve as an engine to attract and retain talent and drive economic development in cities. […]
Article · December 7, 2017 by George Abbott
Today, Knight is announcing $1.5 million in support to the New Americans Campaign. Knight was a founding funder of the campaign, a national collaborative that equips local organizations with the knowledge and resources they need to help lawful permanent residents become U.S. citizens. In the middle of a heated debate on immigration in America, one population attracts […]
Article · October 17, 2017 by George Abbott
Congratulations to the 33 winners of the 2017 Knight Cities Challenge. This is Knight Foundation’s third year running the challenge in our 26 communities. Each year we have posed a simple question: “What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?” The rules are simple and so is the application process. We want to encourage […]
Article · June 12, 2017 by George Abbott
We didn’t know what to expect when we launched our third Knight Cities Challenge last fall. The response in the first two years was phenomenal; from a total pool of more than 12,000 applications we have named fewer than 70 winning projects. We wondered if civic innovators would bring that same enthusiasm to this round. […]
Article · January 17, 2017 by George Abbott
After more than 25 community events, countless brainstorming sessions, three online office hours and one Facebook Live event the Knight Cities Challenge is now closed. We received more than 4,500 applications responding to Knight Foundation’s call for the best ideas to make cities more successful with a focus on talent, opportunity and engagement. I’ve been […]
Article · November 3, 2016 by George Abbott
Photo courtesy of 2015 Knight Cities Challenge winner, Daily tous les jours. The Knight Cities Challenge is now open. This is the third time since 2014 that we’ve issued an open call to uncover ideas to make cities more successful. The challenge will close for applications at noon ET on Nov. 3. We’re looking for […]
Article · October 10, 2016 by George Abbott
Knight Cities Challenge winners from 2015 and 2016 convene in Philadelphia. During this contentious election season one theme has remained constant across party lines: an unshakeable belief in the American power to innovate. We at Knight Foundation also believe that good ideas can come from anywhere, and anyone. It’s why we launched the Knight Cities Challenge […]
Article · August 16, 2016 by George Abbott
Above: The Pop-up Pools project in Philadelphia was a 2015 Knight Cities Challenge winner. Photo Courtesy The Pop-Up Pool Project. We opened the second round of the Knight Cities Challenge in October with a little trepidation. We had been impressed by the enthusiasm for the first round of the challenge, which attracted more than 7,000 applications. We wondered if there […]
Article · April 12, 2016 by George Abbott
Photo: The Swings, a first-year Knight Cities Challenge winner. For more than a week readers have been taking a first look at the more than 4,500 applications that we received for the Knight Cities Challenge this year. We chose the readers from among Knight community leaders and local and national experts in talent, opportunity and […]
Article · November 19, 2015 by George Abbott
Photo by Mycatkins on Flickr. This year’s Knight Cities Challenge is now closed. We received more than 4,400 applications for our call for the best ideas to make cities more successful, with a focus on talent, opportunity and engagement in the 26 Knight communities. Thanks to everyone who applied and who participated in one of […]
Article · October 27, 2015 by George Abbott