Knight Foundation announces 2026 Knight Cities Challenge recipients

Knight Foundation
Photo credit: Local Color, a Knight Cities Challenge 2026–27 grantee.

Twenty-nine applicants selected from more than 3,000 submissions will receive up to $200,000

Embargoed until Tuesday, October 20 | 8:30 a.m. ET 

About the Grantees

Twenty-nine recipients selected from more than 3,000 applications will receive up to $200,000 to launch or expand projects that advance journalism, the arts, economic opportunity and connection across Knight Foundation communities.

Following an April 2026 open call, the 29 recipients representing 22 cities were selected for the relaunched Knight Cities Challenge. The $10 million initiative supports people shaping the future of their communities through two cohorts over three years. The first cohort will receive $5 million.

The selected projects range from improving public records and FOIA access to training workers for clean-energy careers, activating university newsrooms to strengthen local coverage, and connecting artists to the 2028 Olympic Games.

Explore the full list of 2026 Knight Cities Challenge projects below.

  • 3,273

    Applications received across all 26 Knight communities

  • 29

    Recipients in the 2026-27 cohort

  • 22

    Knight communities represented

  • $200,000

    Maximum award per project

For media inquiries, including requests to speak with someone from Knight Foundation or connect with a Knight Cities Challenge cohort member, please contact media@kf.org.

About Knight Cities Challenge

Building on Knight Foundation’s long history of open challenges across its programs, the 2026 Knight Cities Challenge expands access to grantmaking to unlock creative ideas with the potential to make a lasting local impact. Knight first launched the challenge in 2015 to support ambitious ideas to make cities more successful by advancing talent, opportunity and engagement. Over three years, the original challenge received more than 16,000 applications and funded 99 projects.

The 2026 Knight Cities Challenge is a three-year, $10 million initiative serving Knight’s 26 communities. Its first cycle includes a $5 million open call for projects that advance journalism, the arts, economic opportunity and connection.

“These Knight Cities Challenge grantees bring audacious ideas, passion and grit to projects that strengthen the communities they call home. Their projects remind us that thriving communities are built when people have the agency and resources to shape what comes next.”
Knight Foundation
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth
President and CEO
“In every Knight community, there are people already making a remarkable difference, often without the spotlight or resources they deserve. This cohort is 29 of them: young people building new models for local news, neighbors turning vacant land into community arboretums and many others creating what their communities need. Over the next year, we're giving them more than funding. They'll have a network of peers and the support to reach their goals. We'll be learning right alongside them, and at the end of the year we'll look closely at what succeeded and what it can teach us about supporting local leaders like these.”
Knight Foundation
Francesca de Quesada Covey
Vice President of Community Impact

Meet the Knight Cities Challenge Grantees in Your City

Aberdeen, S.D.

Akron, Ohio

  • Knight Foundation

    City of Akron

    Developing a tool that provides near real-time conditions and safety information for recreational use of the Cuyahoga River.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download CUYAC River Conditions Tool Akron

Biloxi, Miss.

  • Knight Foundation

    Steps Coalition

    Equipping NGO leaders and residents in East Biloxi with skills in resilient community development.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Resilient East Biloxi Community Development Leadership Program Biloxi

Boulder, Colo.

Charlotte, N.C.

Columbia, S.C.

Detroit

  • Knight Foundation

    Detroit Hives

    Transforming vacant land into a community-led arboretum that will strengthen neighborhood identity.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download East Warren Community Arboretum and Botanical Garden Detroit
  • Knight Foundation

    Detroit Sound Conservancy

    Restoring the Blue Bird Inn as a living cultural hub, preserving and celebrating Detroit’s music heritage.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Blue Bird Inn: A Home and Archive for Detroit Music Detroit

Duluth, Minn.

  • Knight Foundation

    Caldera PBC

    Building an AI-native public records platform that improves government transparency while reducing staff burden.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Public Records Without the Backlog West Palm Beach, Fla. and Duluth, Minn.

Fort Wayne, Ind.

Gary, Ind.

Grand Forks, N.D.

Lexington, Ky.

Long Beach, Calif.

Macon, Ga.

  • Knight Foundation

    NewTown Macon, Inc.

    Expanding access to local investment capital for entrepreneurs and real estate projects.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Establish and Capitalize a Diversified Community Investment Fund Macon

Miami

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Philadelphia

  • Knight Foundation

    The Community Grocer

    Training a new workforce in high-demand skills for family-sustaining career pathways through a community-based grocery, culinary apprenticeship, and a neighborhood hub.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download The Community Grocer Workforce Development Program Philadelphia

San Jose, Calif.

St. Paul, Minn.

Tallahassee, Fla.

West Palm Beach, Fla.

  • Knight Foundation

    Palm Beach Venture Philanthropy

    Creating a vibrant, shared community space that connects two historically Black neighborhoods.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Bridging the Gap West Palm Beach
  • Knight Foundation

    Caldera PBC

    Building an AI-native public records platform that improves government transparency while reducing staff burden.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Public Records Without the Backlog West Palm Beach, Fla. and Duluth, Minn.

Wichita, Kan.

Multiple Cities

  • Knight Foundation

    Center for Community News, University of Vermont

    Building 10 university student-powered news programs in Knight Foundation cities to support local media coverage.

    Asset Link Project City
    Click here to download Knight City Community News Champions Aberdeen, S.D.; Duluth, Minn.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Grand Forks, N.D.; Gary, Ind.; Lexington, Ky.; Long Beach, Calif.; Myrtle Beach and Conway, S.C.; San Jose, Calif.; Wichita, K.S.