Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, street crowd. Photo by George Feder.

Today marks the year-three launch of the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia, and we’re ready to hear your best ideas to engage and enrich the city’s vibrant arts scene. Applications are now being accepted right here  through Oct. 15. We believe the arts can engage and enrich communities and that your ideas can make an impact. That’s why the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $9 million in innovative arts ideas. To date, 71 ideas have been awarded $5.4 million.What can these ideas look like? The possibilities are endless, and no idea is too large or too small. There are only three rules for the challenge:

1.    Your idea must be about the arts.

2.   Your project must take place in or benefit Philadelphia.

3.   You must find funding to match Knight’s commitment, within a year.

Over the course of the next four weeks, we’ll be counting down to the deadline, answering your questions through a town hall meeting and live web chat, and sharing the stories of previous Knight Arts Challenge winners to get you inspired. We hope you’ll take advantage and follow along right here.

Mark these on your calendar:

• Town Hall Meeting. Wed, Oct. 3 at 6pm; Philadelphia Center for Architecture: 1218 Arch St, Philadelphia
• Live Web Chat.Tue, Oct. 9 from 1-2pm: KnightArts.org

Applications for year three of the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia will be accepted through Oct. 15. Finalists for the challenge will be announced in early 2013; those projects will be asked to submit a more detailed proposal. Winners will be announced in the spring. Want to stay up to date on Knight Arts initiatives? Have a question about the challenge? Be sure to like Knight Arts on Facebook and follow @KnightArts on Twitter.