To strengthen technology expertise within the U.S. Congress by supporting the Congressional Innovation Fellowship, which places an even number of technologists in congressional offices of both major political parties and works to convert fellows into full-time employees.
Program Area: Community Impact
To support expansion efforts connecting residents in Miami with the ISeeChange platform on which they can collect imagery and local flooding, heat and pollution data that can be used by nonprofits and local government to enhance their climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Knight support will enable the San Jose Downtown Association to analyze mobility data to guide the urban core’s economic recovery.
SAN JOSE – The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) are partnering on an initiative to create a more vibrant downtown San Jose for residents and visitors to live, work, study and play.
Knight is investing nearly $1 million in SJDA’s Beautiful Tableau initiative, a five-year effort to create a better future for downtown San Jose by using data to provide insights for city planners and the downtown community to build an urban center that is innovative, vibrant, equitable and inclusive.
“San Jose can learn from shared experiences and challenges during the pandemic to build a city that amplifies our diversity, accelerates our innovation, leverages our history, and builds equity by connecting residents and business owners with those who wish to invest in the city’s future,” said Christopher Thompson, Knight’s San Jose director. “ Now, we’re moving forward with this unique opportunity to reimagine a downtown that is welcoming, safe and desirable for everyone.”
The Beautiful Tableau project is expected to start small and grow over the years. SJDA will work with executives, business and property owners, artists, investors, developers and others for input on project decisions.
The project intends to:
- Gather information that’s useful to fill empty storefronts and enhance merchandising in existing storefronts;
- Make a list of favored native plants to populate pedestrian paths;
- Identify best sites for public art placement;
- Establish temporary art on fencing separating visitors from large construction projects;
- Collect evidence that raises the level of street life improvements beyond murals, decorative lighting and planters.
“The definition of ‘tableau’ is a memorable and dramatic image or scene,” said Sarah Billings, SJDA Street Life Manager. “We’re inspired to collaborate with our partners to evoke new opportunities downtown for our residents, workers, students and visitors by filling in the spaces between our established districts.”
Over the five years of the grant, SJDA wants to strengthen the public experience along Santa Clara from the Diridon Station to City Hall; between the Historic District and South First Area (SoFA); on routes to and from Guadalupe River Park; and on Park Avenue between Market Street and Almaden Boulevard. SJDA also wants to connect San Jose State with the rest of downtown.
Knight’s investment will kickstart a sustainable means of building, allocating resources and adding onto downtown during the pandemic and beyond.
“With the Beautiful Tableau initiative, we’re reaching for a higher bar of excitement and vivacity than we’ve ever experienced,” said Chloe Shipp, SJDA Director of Public Space Operations. “We’re going to make sure we’re ready for the eruption of construction we expect over the next several years.”
More than 50 office and residential high-rise projects are already in downtown’s planning hopper, and Google plans to create a multi-use transit village called Downtown West next to an expanded Diridon Station.
Portions of Knight’s commitment will be used to crunch numbers that will assist with downtown branding, marketing and communications; and expand downtown’s capacity for research and development. The objective is to build confidence among stakeholders and encourage additional investment.
Beautiful Tableau builds off the successes of two impactful Knight investments with SJDA:
- The MOMENT shops in San Pedro Square added four ground-floor micro retail spaces by renovating a section of the Market-San Pedro Square parking garage. Opened in May 2018, the award-winning MOMENT project has provided 15 entrepreneurs a chance to test their concepts in a storefront location.
- A five-year Street Life initiative completed in June 2020 resulted in dozens of downtown decorative and landscape improvements, including an explosion of colorful crosswalks, LED lighting and murals. The Street Life manager position initially funded through the grant is now a permanent, full-time role sustained through the Property Business Improvement District.
“Knight’s support and the leveraging of funds provided by property owners, businesses and City of San Jose resources resulted in a more dynamic downtown environment pre-COVID, which sets the table for the Beautiful Tableau initiative,” Shipp said.
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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.
About San Jose Downtown AssociationSan Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) enhances the unique and diverse character of downtown San Jose by providing a clean and welcoming urban environment, public space improvements, marketing and community programming and advocacy on issues that affect business and property owners. Currently, SJDA is focused on assisting businesses through economic recovery and planning beyond the pandemic. sjdowntown.com
Image (top) of the San Jose Downtown Ice rink by Greg Ramar.
As Miami’s tech community grows, CodePath will leverage Knight’s investment to expand and launch programming at three area colleges to connect students to tech careers.
(November 22, 2021) — As Miami emerges as an international tech hub with increased demand for skilled talent, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced today a $2.25 million investment in CodePath to expand its programming at Florida International University (FIU) and launch new programs at Florida Memorial University (FMU) and Miami Dade College (MDC).
CodePath, a national nonprofit seeking to increase diversity in computer science and engineering, will partner with the three landmark Miami higher education institutions to:
- complement their computer science curricula to align with industry needs;
- prepare students for competitive internships;
- place students in software engineering roles at leading tech companies.
“Miamians are talented, full of grit and determination. Increasingly, they seek to bring those attributes to careers in tech,” said Raul Moas, Knight’s Miami program director. “By investing in CodePath, we are investing in the aspirations of Miamians and key educational institutions which enable our community to succeed.”
CodePath provides no-cost software engineering courses, career services and access for computer science students to successfully complete their undergraduate education and land competitive technical roles after graduation. Since 2017, CodePath has served more than 10,000 students, 70% of which come from Black, Latino/a or low-income backgrounds.
“We must create more support structures to cultivate a tech talent pool that reflects Miami’s population,” said Michael Ellison, CEO and co-founder of CodePath. “Through our Knight partnership, we will serve and attract college students to join our tech movement and create a larger, more diverse talent pipeline for employers.”
In 2020, CodePath launched its programming at FIU with a course on Android development. Today, multiple CodePath courses are now integrated into FIU’s computer science curriculum, and the nonprofit to date has taught nearly 100 students, arming them with industry relevant technical skills, including web and mobile development, cybersecurity and technical interview preparation.
“The support that CodePath is able to give students is invaluable. Through their guidance, I found the career path I want to pursue in computer science,” FIU student Anthony Pena said. “During the program, I built an award-winning mobile application, secured technical internships at Meta (formerly known as Facebook), Amazon and other high growth tech companies. SXSW EDU 2022 selected me to speak. Also, in March, I will start working full-time as a software engineer, while I continue to pursue my bachelor’s degree.”
This investment builds on Knight’s support of Miami Tech, including a $15 million commitment in Florida International University, the University of Miami and Baptist Health South Florida announced in February of this year. As part of the announcement, FIU established the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, UM expanded its Institute of Data Science and Computing and Baptist Health launched a health care innovation fellowship. In September, Knight announced $510,000 in investments to four local organizations and entities that help boost a sense of community among tech practitioners in the city.
“With this investment by CodePath, FIU has a unique opportunity to further expand our strategic efforts to prepare a new generation of tech workers for 21st century jobs,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “By providing all students with learning opportunities focused on excellence and innovation, we are positioning them to be change makers and problem solvers in the tech sector.”
“The need for individuals with quality technical skills are in high demand, and Florida Memorial University is committed to helping our students succeed in all areas of education, especially in the realm of computer science and engineering,” said Dr. Jaffus Hardrick, Florida Memorial University President. “We greatly appreciate the commitment of CodePath and the Knight Foundation for cultivating opportunities for underserved students here in South Florida.”
“This investment from Knight Foundation will accelerate the pathway for Miami Dade College students to economic prosperity through the supplemental resources and services provided by CodePath,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega. “We know our students reflect the rich diversity of our community, and their passion, talents and perspectives will enhance Miami’s tech ecosystem. We are proud to join our partner institutions in this endeavor.”
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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.
About CodePath
CodePath transforms computer science education for underrepresented minorities and students from low income backgrounds at over 300 colleges and universities. We offer free, supplemental courses in cybersecurity, mobile app development and technical interview preparation, as well as career services to create successful pathways for students to achieve technical excellence. To date, CodePath has served over 10,000 students, of which 70% self-identify as Black, Latino/a, or come from low-income backgrounds. By working closely with partners like Andreessen Horowitz, Cognizant, Comcast, Meta, Walmart, and Workday, CodePath is systematically changing CS programs to increase diversity in tech. CodePath is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To learn more, visit www.codepath.org
To design and implement a process that will enable business to seek approval, receive permits, access ARPA funds for construction and permits, and measure success of Parkets to build economic security and urban vibrancy on San Jose streets.
To create a set of best practices, and replicable innovations that help city leaders utilize digital infrastructure to facilitate community involvement, specifically with the inclusion of communities that were historically excluded, and to improve the design, construction, maintenance and equitable use of infrastructure.
To document, evaluate, and disseminate the key learnings of the Knight AV Initiative as it seeks to ensure residents’ needs are at the center of designing and deploying autonomous vehicle (AV) and new mobility technologies, and to support the cohort in becoming national leaders in the deployment of resident-centered, equity-driven autonomous services by leveraging learnings around 1) Public Engagement, 2) Equity Issues, 3) Models of Governance, and 4) Tools and Levers
To ensure residents’ needs are at the center of designing and deploying autonomous vehicle (AV) and new mobility technologies in cities through the facilitation of a cohort of cities, fostering knowledge exchange and network building.
To hire an equity consultant and support a project coordinator for the coordination of regional partners, consultants, and local leadership to develop a competitive proposal for the next tranche of federal funding for the city of Philadelphia through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Build Back Better and Good Jobs Challenges to accelerate the regional economic recovery in Greater Philadelphia.
To support the exploration of the uses of technology in public spaces within the High Line Network, and the development of a replicable framework to enhance public life in urban spaces through technology.
To leverage learning from the Reimagining the Civic Commons cohort to pilot activities which engage residents and stakeholders for the connectivity of Macon’s downtown via the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail.