MACON  – The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which has awarded $18.3 million in grants since 2000 to benefit Macon, will deepen its commitment to the area through the foundation’s new focus on programs and projects that foster “informed and engaged communities.”

“We will be funding big ideas that support efforts to bring people together and create economic vitality across Macon,” said Beverly Blake, Knight’s Macon-based program director. “Making sure that residents are informed about and engaged in the issues and opportunities that face them will unite our community and move Macon forward.”

Blake pointed to the Knight-funded College Hill Alliance (www.collegehillmacon.com), which is working to restore the social and physical fabric between the Mercer University campus and downtown Macon. “This is a truly innovative partnership that is improving quality of life, adding economic value and making Macon a better place to live and work,” Blake said.

Other Knight priorities in Macon include promoting the arts as a community-building tool and advancing universal broadband access.

Macon will also benefit from Knight Foundation’s $70 million Community Foundations Initiative. In Macon, Knight will invest up to $2.5 million in an endowed fund over the next seven years through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. Grants made from the gains of this fund are intended to serve the Macon community indefinitely.

“Information is an essential community need and community foundations were established to meet core needs,” said Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation’s president and CEO. “They also only exist and thrive because of community engagement and contributions. That makes them ideal partners to help us understand and advance local community engagement.”

Nonprofits in Macon seeking Knight funding should contact Blake at Knight Foundation’s Macon office at 478-301-5011, or e-mail her at [email protected].

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Contacts:
Beverly Blake, Program Director for Macon, Knight Foundation,
478-301-5011; [email protected]

Kathryn Dennis, President, Community Foundation of Central Georgia,
478-750-9338; [email protected]