Photo by Michael Hicks on Flickr.com

Applications for the 2015 Knight Green Line Challenge are now closed. We received more than 350 ideas for projects that tap into the potential of the Green Line to make surrounding neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minn., more vibrant places to live and work.

We saw ideas for each of the six neighborhoods along the line that aimed to push the three key drivers of city success: exciting current residents and attracting newcomers; expanding economic opportunity and breaking down community divides; and creating and strengthening a culture of robust civic engagement.

Now, a team of local and national readers will join Knight Foundation and St. Paul Foundation staff in an initial review of applications. They will be looking for ideas that are new and innovative, that could have a strong local impact, that provide an opportunity for learning, and that can be executed successfully by the applicant.

We’ll announce the finalists in August. Finalists will receive feedback on their ideas and will need to refine their applications and add detail. The finalist application includes an expanded word limit for the initial questions. Finalists will need to provide a final grant amount and full budget. Finalists will also need to provide a timeline for the project, describe risks or barriers to success, discuss how their project will expand knowledge in the field, share how they will tell their story and explain their plan for sustainability (if the project is intended to be sustained). Finalists also have the opportunity to add a maximum of two letters of support as well as a sketch, photo or illustration.

Final applications will be due on Aug. 26. A team of readers will share their expertise with Knight and St. Paul Foundation staff in a detailed review process. We will announce winners of the 2015 Green Line Challenge in late September.

Thank you for participating in the Green Line Challenge. I hope that you’ll stay engaged with Knight Foundation in St. Paul. We are open to good ideas from anywhere and anyone. If you have an idea that can help to attract and retain talent, expand economic opportunity or help to build and strengthen a culture of robust engagement, we want to hear it.

George Abbott is special assistant to the vice president for community and national initiatives and interim program director for St. Paul at Knight Foundation. He can be reached via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @garthurabbott.