To build upon existing autonomous vehicle (AV) testing and a planned autonomous deployment by expanding public and neighborhood engagement efforts regarding how AVs are deployed and managed.
Program Area: Communities
To improve the tools that allow companies to access its data in order to reach other channels of distribution; to stabilize TurboVote Earned Revenue; and to develop features to cultivate small dollar donors.
Feb. 21, 2019—Knight Foundation is inviting nominations for the inaugural Knight Public Spaces Fellowship, intended to recognize leading civic innovators who have created or influenced great public spaces that have transformed communities across America. A small group of selected fellows will share up to $1 million in grants to continue their work.
Knight believes that great public spaces can transform cities. They are where everyone can come together — to meet, play and discuss community issues. They foster civic life, drawing people out of their homes and into the community, while encouraging neighbors to be together and interact.
The first-of-its-kind Knight Public Spaces Fellowship will recognize talented leaders who have an exemplary track record of crafting public spaces — trails, parks, plazas and streets — that create opportunities for connection and civic engagement. From Feb. 21 to March 22, we are inviting people to nominate their candidate of choice. Individuals can also nominate themselves.
“We’ve seen firsthand how talented leaders can reshape a community through great public spaces. This award will recognize great leaders and support them in changing how we think about, use and participate in shaping public spaces,” said Sam Gill, Knight’s vice president for communities and impact.
Fellows will be drawn from around the country and diverse sectors, including innovators with experience in urban design, planning, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, government, technology, programming and policy. Nominees must be extraordinary leaders who transform the way we think about and use public spaces in the communities where we live, creating more opportunities for connection and civic engagement. Key attributes include:
- A track record of exceptional public space work with proven results.
- A demonstrated commitment to the value of public spaces in advancing civic engagement and building stronger communities.
- The potential to make significant new contributions to the use of public space in community.
In addition to the opportunity to create real impact in their city and beyond, fellows will receive:
- Support: Substantial, flexible resources to pursue transformative work in public spaces and advance the field.
- Network-building opportunities: Support to work directly with peers and other experts who are passionate about using public space to transform communities.
- Mentorship: Insight and guidance from experts to refine ideas and new thinking around public space work.
- Public exposure: Fellows will be invited to present at Knight-supported events and other gatherings and given opportunities to publish and share their work.
Fellows will be selected by Knight in collaboration with experts and leaders in the field and announced in June 2019. The number of fellows will be determined during the review process, but the Knight Public Spaces Fellowship is meant to recognize the very top practitioners. The small group of selected fellows will share in a total award pool of up to $1 million in grants which can be used for innovative, flexible projects, distributed over approximately two years.
If you have questions about the application, you can join us for an informational webinar to learn more about the fellowship on March 5 at 3 p.m. ET. Please RSVP to attend here, and we’ll send you more details.
To learn more visit: kf.org/psfellows. Follow #knightcities on Twitter for updates.
Knight Foundation supports informed and engaged communities by investing in cities to attract and nurture talent, promote economic opportunity and foster civic engagement. We believe that public spaces are a key ingredient in connecting people to each other and the places where they live. The foundation has made several investments in this area including the national Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, that seeks to bring people together by revitalizing and connecting public spaces.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more visit, kf.org.
Contact:
Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 305-908-2646, [email protected]
-
Communities / Report
-
Communities / Article
-
Communities / Article
-
Communities / Article
To support The Underline’s technology master plan, technical expertise and a Chief Operating Officer position.
To scale The Well’s housing rehabilitation and rental program, and to sustain their operations.
To enable the Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon to study the participating projects in Knight’s Smart Cities Mobility Initiative on autonomous vehicles in order to assess impact, and document and disseminate key lessons.
To support the implementation of neighborhood-level community engagement to advance the City of Charlotte’s North End Smart District work through the next phase of the Smart Homes Kick Start project and aid in the adoption of Smart City practices.
To support nonpartisan research, briefings and media engagement on the need for greater technology expertise in Congress and among congressional staff.
To enhance the economic development of the Copley Road Business district through a Better Block activation.
San Jose, Calif.—Jan. 8, 2019— Christopher Thompson, a senior business executive, has joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as its San Jose program director. Thompson will help further Knight’s efforts to build a more engaged and people-focused San Jose during a time of intense change in the city and region.
Thompson most recently served as vice president of product marketing at communications technology company Plantronics, where he drove strategies that helped organizations transform their communications and collaboration practices. Prior to joining Plantronics, Thompson held executive positions in business strategy and marketing for major technology companies including Cisco, Network Associates, Nortel and Gartner Group.
“Knight works to bring positive transformation to all the cities where it invests. Chris has the leadership skills and the innovative mindset needed to do just that in San Jose. He’s a longtime resident who understands the city and region, and his strong business expertise will help the city tackle new demands during a period of change and growth,” said Sam Gill, vice president of communities and impact for Knight Foundation.
Knight’s programs in San Jose are primarily focused on promoting a more engaged city, with a focus on public life—drawing people out of their cars and homes and into the community. Knight has invested more than $25 million in San Jose over the past 10 years to advance this mission. The foundation has also been a key player in helping San Jose take the lead in confronting regional challenges for Silicon Valley, including housing, transit and disconnected residents.
“Having worked and lived in and around San Jose for decades, I have seen the best of what Silicon Valley’s culture of innovation can do. I look forward to working side-by-side with local residents, businesses and government partners to put that spirit to work in building a more informed and engaged San Jose, the thriving center of Silicon Valley,” said Thompson.
Thompson has lived in the Bay Area for 26 years; he is a native of Toronto, Canada. He has a Bachelor of Arts in macroeconomics and a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University in Canada. He is a regular speaker on topics such as collaboration technology and business strategy, presenting at prominent events including CEBIT, Cisco Live, Gartner Symposium, Mobile World Congress, Morgan Stanley Global Technology Summit, Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, SXSW and the World Economic Forum.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit kf.org.
Contact:
Anusha Alikhan, Communications Director, Knight Foundation: 305-908-2646, [email protected]
Image (top): San Jose map by Stamen Design, under CC BY 3.0.
-
-
Communities / Article
-
Communities / Article
For the balance of The Miami Foundation’s fees for 2018-56176 Miami City of Tomorrow Challenge (COTC) grant.