Knight Foundation: Community & National Initiatives

_NOTE: As part of our ongoing effort to improve how we support our grantee partners and communities, we are pausing our Letter of Inquiry (LOI) process. During this period, Knight Foundation will not be accepting unsolicited proposals for new funding opportunities.

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots.

What We Fund

We invest through grantmaking directly from our endowment and from endowed donor-advised funds (DAF) at local community foundations in the Knight communities.

In the 18 cities where our foundation does not have a program director living in the community, we primarily work with community foundation leaders and local advisory committees to identify investment opportunities that support engaged, inclusive and equitable communities.

Communities Program

Rather than a single approach, we seek to support efforts authentic to each community.

_Cities with Knight Foundation offices_

* Akron, Ohio
* Charlotte, North Carolina
* Detroit
* Macon, Georgia
* Miami
* Philadelphia
* San Jose, California
* St. Paul, Minnesota

In these cities, Knight program directors are your first point of contact.

_Community Foundations Program_

Knight works in 18 small to mid-sized communities in partnership with local community foundations. Learn more about this program.

* Aberdeen, South Dakota;
* Biloxi, Mississippi;
* Boulder, Colorado;
* Bradenton, Florida;
* Columbia, South Carolina;
* Columbus, Georgia;
* Duluth, Minnesota;
* Ft. Wayne, Indiana;
* Gary, Indiana;
* Grand Forks, North Dakota;
* Lexington, Kentucky;
* Long Beach, California;
* Milledgeville, Georgia;
* Myrtle Beach, South Carolina;
* Palm Beach County, Florida;
* State College, Pennsylvania;
* Tallahassee, Florida;
* Wichita, Kansas

If you are interested in receiving Knight funding in these 18 communities, please read more about our individual community strategies and ask your local community foundation about the local Knight donor-advised fund.

Our National Initiatives program seeks to accelerate and amplify the work we do in communities by identifying opportunities in common, and ideas that can be shared across communities. Current areas of focus include:

* Smart cities: Harnessing the growth of digital technology to improve how communities respond, connect to and engage with residents;
* Public Spaces: Investing in spaces such as parks, trails, libraries to engage and connect residents to each other and to the places where they live, such as through our multi-city initiative, Reimagining the Civic Commons.

In addition, our national program responds to opportunities that emerge from the 26 cities where we work.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* We primarily fund U.S.-based organizations.

Ineligibility

* Knight Foundation's Board of Trustees prefer not to fund:

* Requests for support of fundraising events.
* Requests to cover operating deficits.
* Charities operated by service clubs.
* Activities that are normally the responsibility of government (The foundation will, in selective cases, partner with government in supporting special projects.).
* Activities to propagate a religious faith or that are restricted to one religion or denomination; support of political candidates; memorials.
* International programs and organizations, except U.S.-based organizations supporting a free press around the world.
* A second request for a capital campaign for which the foundation previously approved a grant.
* Conferences; group travel; honoraria for distinguished guests—except in initiatives of the foundation in all three cases.
* The board and program staff remain open to ideas and opportunities and will exercise flexibility when needed.

* 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 an case-by-case basis, we will consider indirect fee payments of up to 10 percent of a proposed grant.