Knight Help Center

After reviewing the thousands of questions grantees and applicants have submit to Knight Foundation over the years, we collected the most frequent answers provided and created easy how-to and information blocks below. Please don't hesitate to send us a message using the blue HELP button on the bottom right of your screen. During regular business hours, this is a live chat where someone from the Grants Administration department will answer your quesions or help you with any difficulty immediatly!

Relationship Manager - Your relationship manager will be clearly listed on your grant card in the "Active Grants" navigation on your left, along with their contact information. Please feel free to contact them with any programmatic questions such as budget changes, no-cost extensions, reporting date changes, grant activity updates and more. They are there to support you!
Grants Administration - The Grants Administration department can assist with any administrative needs such as new Fluxx user accounts, grant agreement details, due diligence documentation, process questions, reporting assistance, grant contact updates, payment information and more. Please send an email to [email protected].

Changes to any specific line item, if the grant is approved, are possible during the grant period. Any budget line item that has a change greater than 5% should be approved in writing by Knight Foundation prior to making the change. This should be discussed with your relationship manager.

Yes, which you can download HERE. We strongly encourage you to submit your project budget in this template, as it clearly separates Knight Foundation Funds Only from additional funders. Also, for future financial reporting, you will be asked to use the same template. Best practices for submitting the Knight Foundation budget proposal are listed in the grant card above the Request Documentation section.

At the close of the grant, any unexpended funds shall immediately be returned to the Foundation, except where the Foundation has agreed in writing to an alternative use of the unused funds. Please reach out to your relationship manager to discuss the best course of action that supports the charitable purpose of your grant.

We do not pay indirect administrative fees to grantee organizations. We may make exceptions if you are providing a necessary service directly related to the grant. Based on the recommendation of program staff, on a case-by-case basis, we will consider indirect fee payments of up to 10 percent of a proposed grant.

On the left side of your screen, please click on the "Reporting templates" link to access all the templates you will need to submit materials or report on active grants. See the next FAQ question below for further information regarding reporting on an active grant.

Narrative Report: A narrative report is a written summary submitted to Knight Foundation covering the activities, key outcomes and indicators outlined in the grant agreement and initial grant proposal. For the required narrative reports, you can directly enter text in the required fields by going to the "Reports Due" link on the left side of your screen, clicking on the appropriate grant report card, then clicking “Edit” on the upper right of your screen. Please make sure to hit “Save” at the bottom right of the screen when done. Additionally, when you are ready to submit the report for your relationship manager’s approval, please hit “Submit” on the bottom right of the screen.
Financial Report: A financial report is an accounting of the actual expenditures related to the grant compared to the budgeted expenditures outlined in the initial proposal, approved by your relationship manager. The financial report template can be downloaded HERE. Once you have completed the excel file comparing actuals to the original and approved budgeted amounts, please upload the file to the Report Documents section in the Financial Report card. Best practices for submitting the Knight Foundation financial reporting are listed in the Financial Report card above the Report Documents section.

Knight Foundation will include special language in the grant agreement to ensure the following:

Grantee will repay any amount not used for the purposes of the grant,
Grantee will submit full and complete annual reports to the grantor foundation on the manner in which the funds are spent, and the progress made in accomplishing the purposes of the grant,
Grantee will keep records of receipts and expenditures and to make its books and records available to the grantor at reasonable times, and
Grantee will not use any of the funds to influence legislation, to influence the outcome of elections, to carry on voter registration drives, to make grants to individuals or other organizations or to undertake any nonexempt activity, when such use of the funds would be a taxable expenditure if made directly by the foundation.

For more information on Expenditure Responsibility, please review the IRS website HERE.

As required by IRS rules, Knight Foundation funds will not be used: a) to carry on propaganda or otherwise attempt to influence legislation; b) to influence the outcome of any specific public election or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drive; c) to make a grant to any individual for travel, study or other similar purposes or to make a sub-grant to any other organization unless the grant complies with Section 4945(d)(3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code and the grant has been detailed in the approved grant plan and budget; or (d) to undertake any activity for any purpose other than the charitable and educational purposes specified in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Yes. You can learn more about our communications guidelines, download Knight logos and reach the Communications Department at http://knightcommunications.org or email [email protected] with any relevant content that mentions the foundation. Please also follow us on Twitter at @knightfdn.

Yes. Multiple accounts can be linked to an organization and its active grant records. Only one person will be listed as the Primary Contact for a grant and as a result, that person will receive the communication from our system and Knight staff regarding the grant. Please do not share accounts or create shared organizational accounts, as this is important for our audit trail.

Reports: Yes. The system will send the Primary Contact an email 28 days before the report is due. If you do not receive this notification, please check your SPAM inbox or contact the Grants Administration department at [email protected].
Payments: Yes. The system will send the Primary Contact and the designated Finance contact as noted on the Payment Selection Form. Payments are tendered on Fridays and notifications will go out simultaneously.

No. Once it has been routed to the Relationship Manager, the request card will not be available for edits. If you need to make changes or have submitted in error, please contact your Relationship Manager and ask them to send the request card back to Pending Proposal.