In Detroit, Knight Foundation focuses on promoting quality local information and fostering democratic engagement to provide residents with pathways to shape their rapidly changing city.

Since 2008, Knight has committed more than $100 million to Detroit, including expanding Citizen Detroit, the nonpartisan organization that ensures residents have the information and access they need to influence local government; supporting the University of Michigan’s Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, which enables civic leaders to design resident-centered programs and policies; and advancing the growth of the Urban Consulate, a center where residents can exchange ideas and share knowledge to improve their cities.

Our goal is to empower residents to become more informed about the changes the city is undergoing and more engaged in being part of that change. 

The Detroit program centers on: 

• Creating opportunities for all Detroiters to become involved in the life of their community, so that they might explore, debate and act on local issues. 
• Helping Detroiters forge deeper attachments to their city and each other in neighborhoods and civic spaces.
• Improving the quality of and access to local information, including the use of media and digital technology to build more knowledgeable communities and encourage civic participation.

Knight also invests in the city’s creative sector, as a way to build community, through its arts program. Learn more about the Knight’s Arts program.

Knight Detroit Office:

440 Burroughs, Suite 380
Detroit, MI 48202

Detroit Community Advisory Committee members:

James Feagin, Feagin Media Group; Hiram Jackson, Real Times Media; Dan Kinkead, SmithGroupJJR; Tamika Mayes, General Motors; Chris Rizik, Renaissance Venture Capital Fund; Sarida Scott; Community Development Advocates of Detroit.