Articles by

Knight Foundation

  • Press Release

    New Knight International Fellowships will advance media innovation worldwide

    Published November 14, 2012 by

    WASHINGTON—From digitally mapping Amazon deforestation to launching a news innovation challenge in Africa, innovative work by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) will be supported by a new $3.15 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The support for ICFJ’s Knight International Journalism Fellowships seeks to spur a global culture of […]

  • Article

    BMe is about real men, real stories of community change

    Published November 13, 2012 by

    What would you say if I told you that President Obama is not the only black man in America who believes, as he said at 2 a.m on Nov. 7, that “This country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and the future generations.” You’d say of course that’s true. But would you say: “I know lots of black men who help others and look out for future generations every single day.” It’s a serious question. Do you?  Do you know black men who make a difference each and every day, but don’t tabulate their contribution in some official or unofficial ledger? We believe that you do. And more importantly, we want you to do something about it. Related Link "Black men bring positive message to Philly schoolchildren" on Philly.com We want to give you the opportunity to acknowledge these coaches, businessmen, fathers and brothers who do more than their fair share to help others and to make our communities stronger. Knight Foundation, in partnership with the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement, is proud to sponsor BMe – now operating in Baltimore, Detroit and Philadelphia, with plans to expand into more cities next year. Beginning today, we invite you to go to www.bmecommunity.org and see what brothers in these three cities are doing every day to share, inspire, connect and empower our communities. And if you live in one of the three cities I mentioned, please share a story about what you do or nominate someone you know. By Trabian Shorters, BMe Founder
  • Article

    How to distinguish insoluble problems from great opportunities? Start by listening, a changemaker says

    Published November 12, 2012 by

    By Belinda Turner Lawrence, VP/CAO At the Independent Sector conference this week, I was asked to facilitate a conversation about working with others amid change, to make change. While change has been a constant of my career, the conversation among non-profit leaders felt especially pertinent as I prepare to retire from Knight Foundation next month after 15 years in philanthropy.    As moderator Barbara Kibbee of Salesforce.org pressed the group to dig deeply, I asked myself what aspects of my experience were most relevant, as a new generation of leaders with new approaches to problem-solving, began to move up through the sector. The answer is almost everything I’ve learned about working together amid change is relevant, only more so, as change accelerates and partnerships becomes even more essential. Here’s why most people don’t automatically embrace change. We bring our whole selves to decisions we make, based in part on our experience and in part on what we’ve heard from media or experts or other outside influencers. We tend to stay in familiar silos, react to new things with human complexity and offer value-laden solutions. We don’t naturally greet new ideas with an openness to explore and entertain them. The gap can be even bigger between established leaders and the next generation, who come into the non-profit world believing, mostly correctly, that the solutions of the last century no longer work. What does still work, however, is engaging with others and embracing change. Here’s what I’ve learned about doing it:  
  • Article

    Knight honored for strengthening community in Charlotte

    Published November 8, 2012 by

    Knight Foundation was recently honored  by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Charlotte Chapter as the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization in the city. For the last 20 years on National Philanthropy Day, the association has recognized individuals and organizations for their commitment to the sector. More than 500 attended this year’s awards luncheon. Susan Patterson, program director/Charlotte at Knight Foundation, accepted the award. “I was honored to represent Knight at this event,” she said, “but as I told our many nonprofit partners in the room, we wanted to use this opportunity to salute them and all that they do to make our community such a wonderful place to live, work and play.” Knight has invested more than $75 million in the Charlotte community since making its first grant in 1969.  For the last 20 years on National Philanthropy Day, the association has recognized individuals and organizations for their commitment to the sector. More than 500 attended this year’s awards luncheon. Susan Patterson, program director/Charlotte at Knight Foundation, accepted the award. “I was honored to represent Knight at this event,” she said, “but as I told our many nonprofit partners in the room, we wanted to use this opportunity to salute them and all that they do to make our community such a wonderful place to live, work and play.” Knight has invested more than $75 million in the Charlotte community since making its first grant in 1969. The foundation was nominated by one of its grantees, the Community School of the Arts. Former winners selected the nine awardees.
  • Report

    Ushahidi Kenya Evaluation: Case Studies

    Published October 25, 2012 by

    This publication is cross posted from Ushahidi. Research can and should inform software development. The Kenya Ushahidi Evaluation Project was 9-month Ushahidi evaluation project in partnership with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative supported by the Knight Foundation. The full evaluation project conducted by Jennifer Chan (Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, NorthWestern University) and Melissa Tully (Assistant Professor, […]

  • Article

    First ever Civic Data Challenge a success

    Published October 16, 2012 by

    The National Conference on Citizenship blogs about the success of its Civic Data Challenge, whch was presented in partnership with Knight Foundation. The Civic Data Challenge was launched by NCoC in April 2012 to bring new eyes, minds, findings, and skill sets to “civic health” data ― information that shows how citizens are participating in their neighborhoods, communities and democracy. The challenge asked applicants to turn the raw data of civic health into beautiful, useful applications and visualizations, enabling communities to be better understood and made to thrive. The winners were announced at the 67th Annual National Conference on Citizenship. You can watch the video here. More than 170 members joined the challenge community, and our team of outstanding judges reviewed entries that came in from more than 60 participants. Winning teams spanned the country, representing communities from San Francisco to Philadelphia, and Los Angeles to Burlington, Vermont. Participants included undergraduate students and nonprofit leaders, financial analysts and graphic designers, coders and even an astrophysicist. First place winners of the Civic Data Challenge include: Undergraduates from UC Berkeley built a website ― Politify.com ― where users can view the impact of the Presidential candidates' proposed economic policies on their pocketbooks. The team included Nikita Bier, Jeremy Blalock, Dat Duong, and Brad Voracek. A team from the digital agency Razorfish Healthware in Philadelphia created an engaging video demonstrating the value of the arts to community well-being, including health, education, and satisfaction. The team included Erin Abler, Rich Eden, Ranna Jaraha, David Karalis, Benjamin Katz, Phillip Katz, Matthew Davis, Matthew Livingstone, Debra Murphy, Matthew Sutter, Tim Kin, and Abigail Zug. Nicholas Doiron, a coder from San Francisco created a website ―openblockoakland.info ― that provides an interactive view of Oakland, CA local business districts, pairing economic data with user photos to attract more business and economic development. Will DeKrey and Sean McDonald, a nonprofit consultant from Washington, DC and data visualization specialist from Los Angeles, respectively, created WhyGDP?. The presentation provides a detailed look at whether or not GDP is a sufficient measure and predictor of community well-being and outcomes in a number of areas.