Knight Neighborhood Challenge Macon-Bibb County.

Often times, some of the best candidates may not be aware of funding that is available in the community. Five years ago, the Knight Foundation teamed up with the Community Foundation of Central Georgia to administer a $3 million Knight Neighborhood Challenge grant. We have come to the end of this funding cycle, and the last date to apply is June 30.

Many times, you have to be a non-profit organization or have a fiscal agent to receive these type of investments. However, that is not the case with the Knight Neighborhood Challenge dollars. It’s pretty rare to find grants where individuals and for-profit entities can apply. More than anything, this grant does not place a limit on the amount of money requested for your project. The concept of this funding is for citizens to have a voice and work as a community to connect Mercer University to downtown Macon. Therefore, the ideas presented must take place in the defined boundaries of the College Hill Corridor. Tackling one neighborhood at a time is the perfect way to measure the vibrancy created from this type of funding.

College Hill Soap Box Derby, a Knight Neighborhood Challenge grantee.

The Community Foundation of Central Georgia is set up to accept your grant applications in several different formats. The applications can be faxed, hand-delivered, snail-mailed or done online. Their address is 277 MLK Jr. Blvd., Suite 303, Macon, Georgia 31201, and their website is cfcga.org. Any guidelines and details to apply for the grant can be found on their website, including the College Hill Corridor boundaries.

If you have an idea, go ahead and apply. It could be chosen to receive funding from the Knight Neighborhood Challenge. The purpose of the whole initiative demonstrates community input and teamwork. All public art applicants must take a few extra steps to apply.

Mercer Bears public art project, a Knight Neighborhood Challenge grantee.