• Article

    Rishi Jaitly featured as one of the best and brightest in Michigan

    Published October 6, 2011 by

    Rishi Jaitly, Detroit program director for Knight Foundation, is being featured in Crain’s Detroit Business’  2011 “40 under 40” awards. Jaitly, who joined Knight Foundation in March, works with local leaders to find and invest in opportunities for fostering an informed and engaged Detroit. “To call Rishi Jaitly’s résumé diverse is an understatement,” Crains writes. Before joining Knight Foundation, Jaitly co-founded and led Michigan Corps, a social network for local and global Michiganders committed to advancing education and entrepreneurship in their home state. Michigan Corps, along with ACCION USA and Knight Foundation, were successful in launching Kiva Detroit, the first in-country branch of Kiva, which brings microloans to Detroit small businesses. Jaitly also spent four years at Google, both as a speechwriter for Eric Schmidt and as a public affairs specialist in India, where he worked on a voter information project and persuaded the Pakistani and Bangladeshi governments to stop blocking various social media platforms. In the profile, Jaitly says his goal is to see: “More Detroiters acting, growing and seeing themselves as leaders — and I mean that across issues, across geographies, from big-business leaders to young people.” Crain’s “40 under 40 awards” were launched 20 years ago, its goal is to honor the best and brightest in Southeast Michigan who have made their marks in business before age 40.
  • Article

    Opera singers perform Random Act of Culture aboard Philadelphia trains

    Published October 5, 2011 by

    Last week, opera singers from The Opera Company of Philadelphia surprised Philadelphia commuters with a performance from the opera Carmen. Opera singers boarded local trains and performed the aria "Habanera" to surprised commuters on the SEPTA rail lines. The Philadelphia Inquirer covered the event.   Some 504 Knight-funded Random Acts of Culture have taken place so far in eight communities across the United States. Dennis Scholl, vice president/arts at Knight Foundation, describes why Knight launched the Random Acts of Culture program: “We strongly believe in the potential of the arts to engage residents, and bring a community together. Hearing Handel, or seeing the tango in an unexpected place provides a deeply felt reminder of how the classics can enrich our lives. As you’ll see in our videos, the performances make people smile, dance, grab their cameras – even cry with joy. For those brief moments, people going along in their everyday lives are part of a shared, communal experience that makes their community a more vibrant place to live.”
  • Article

    In “Reinventing Journalism”, Robert Rosenthal writes personal account of his career

    Published October 5, 2011 by

      This week, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) is releasing “Reinventing Journalism,” Executive Director Robert Rosenthal’s personal account of joining CIR and launching California Watch, its statewide investigative team. As he says in the opening paragraph, Robert had no idea what he was getting into when he walked into CIR in 2008. “Reinventing Journalism” is his personal account of finding his way: from working as a copyboy to reporting assignments around the world, to being in the ring for the collapse of the traditional media business model, to seizing the opportunity to create a new kind of journalism organization, to his own evolution from journalist to what he calls “salesman/evangelical entrepreneur.” Rosenthal also writes about the launch of California Watch – how the distribution and impact of its first stories exceeded his wildest expectations – and addresses the search for sustainability, looking forward to the future of investigative reporting and the non-profit model.  A free copy of "Reinventing Journalism" can be downloaded to your digital reading device through Project Gutenberg. It will be available soon at iTunes and the Google eBookstore. As part of "Reinventing Journalism", Rosenthal also identified "10 lessons learned" about his time at Center for Investigative Reporting.  We hope this report, written at Knight Foundation’s request, will help other nonprofit reporting ventures, and shed light on where the rapidly changing landscape of journalism and investigative reporting might be headed. 
  • Article

    Knight Foundation profiled in new report on philanthropy and social media

    Published October 5, 2011 by

    A new report “Philanthropy and Social Media” is intended to provide an introduction to social media for philanthropic organizations and individuals interested in the potential of social media for achieving impact. In the report, released by the Institute for Philanthropy, Knight Foundation is profiled as an active and early investor in social media.   For the foundation’s profile, Mayur Patel, vice president of strategy and assessment at Knight Foundation, explains how the foundation’s investment in social media projects grew out of the its journalism and media innovation program:  “We realised that technology was not just disrupting the way people connect to information, it was also changing the way communities connect to each other.” Patel also identifies the foundation’s two goals in funding social media projects. The first is focusing on how the information needs of communities distribute, gather and participate in the creation of information and knowledge. The second is how to invest in projects that facilitate community engagement through technology. Foundation initiatives such as the Knight News Challenge, the Knight Community Information Challenge and its Technology for Engagement program speak directly to these goals. The foundation also recently blogged about why Knight Foundation uses social media as a strategy to become a better grantmaker. The paper was produced by the Indigo Trust and authored by Daisy Wakefield and Aphra Sklair with input from Andy Gibson. The Indigo Trust, The Barr Foundation, Localgiving.com, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Omidyar Network and the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts are also profiled.  
  • Article

    Replicas that speak to us, in replica

    Published October 4, 2011 by

    After a flurry of painting shows, now comes an ambitious, singular installation exhibit, called "Small Medium Large," at Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art. Ambitious? David Rohn incorporated his performance art, painting and three-dimensional art into three houses, each one exactly half the size...
  • Article

    “Cups” by Christine Katz at Temple Gallery

    Published October 4, 2011 by

    Temple University’s Gallery at Tyler School of Art has a program entitled CofFree Monday. Billed as “your most important meal of the week,” students are encouraged to stop by before classes on Monday mornings from 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. for a free cup of specialty coffee and the lowdown on...
  • Article

    New exchange program gives Russian and US journalists a chance to sharpen their skills, build mutual understanding

    Published October 4, 2011 by

    Moscow's Red Square, Photo by Giikah.com Journalists from Russia and the U.S. - countries that were once dire enemies - will be able to participate in a new two-year program designed to give them the opportunity to work in newsrooms and to build mutual understanding. At the beginning of the exchange, Russian journalists will spend several days meeting officials and media leaders in Washington, D.C, while their U.S. counterparts will do the same in Moscow. They will then work at media organizations for up to a month. Knight Foundation is funding the program through a grant to the International Center for Journalists, which will coordinate the selection of suitable U.S. news organizations for the Russian journalists, and the Moscow Union of Journalists will find hosts for the Americans. The Moscow Union will plan the program and cover the costs for participants in Russia.Journalists from Russia and the U.S. - countries that were once dire enemies - will be able to participate in a new two-year program designed to give them the opportunity to work in newsrooms and to build mutual understanding. At the beginning of the exchange, Russian journalists will spend several days meeting officials and media leaders in Washington, D.C, while their U.S. counterparts will do the same in Moscow. They will then work at media organizations for up to a month. Knight Foundation is funding the program through a grant to the International Center for Journalists, which will coordinate the selection of suitable U.S. news organizations for the Russian journalists, and the Moscow Union of Journalists will find hosts for the Americans. The Moscow Union will plan the program and cover the costs for participants in Russia. Dawn L. McCall, Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs, says: “The exchange provides opportunities for U.S. and Russian journalists to share experiences and strengthen their journalistic practices, which benefits both our countries.” The first 24 participants will be selected in February 2012 and the first exchange will take place in April 2012.
  • Article

    BME Campaign receives over 2,000 entries from black males telling stories about how they inspire their community

    Published October 3, 2011 by

    The BME Challenge, which highlights the stories of black men and boys leading others in Philadelphia and Detroit, received more than 2,000 submissions as of the Friday deadline. To all of those who shared inspirational stories of leadership, the BME Campaign thanks you for your efforts in making your communities stronger. Now that entries are in, members of the community have 11 days to vote on the stories that they find the most inspirational. Videos will be produced for individuals who submitted the five stories with the most votes, and will be shown at BME celebration events in Detroit on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and in Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 24. After the events, individuals who submitted stories during the first phase of the challenge will have the opportunity to submit funding proposals for projects they think would better their communities. Winners will then receive funding and support to execute their projects and will share their progress on the BME website. To learn more about the BME Challenge, hear from Donna Frisby-Greenwood, program director/Philadelphia, about why the BME Challenge is personal. BME is supported by Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations' Campaign for Black Male Achievement.