Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen Monday made the case for why community foundations should fund news and information projects, in a speech at the Council on Foundations’ fall conference in Charlotte.

“The need for information is critical to each and every one of your communities.’ It is important to our democracy; it is important to every area of your work. And, if you take away nothing else from today’s luncheon, the best part is that you can do something about it,” Ibarügen told the crowd of more than 700 leaders in philanthropy.

He also announced the 19 new winners of the Knight Community Information Challenge, a matching grant program that encourages community and place-based foundations to fund in this area.

He noted that many already have, moving to the “frontline of a movement to improve the information health of America’s communities.”

Read more of Ibargüen‘s address, and a Q and A with Ibargüen in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.