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How Would You Transform Your City?

Knight Emerging City Champions is a fellowship and micro-grant program for young civic innovators with bold ideas to transform their communities. This program is powered by 8 80 Cities and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Applications for the 2025-2026 period are now open!

Here's How It Works

We are looking for future city leaders with creative solutions to local challenges. Project proposals should aim to:

Downtown & Neighborhood Revitalization
Enhance Community Connection
Building trust in community through projects that create shared public spaces, launch local information-sharing initiatives, or utilize other creative approaches that promote civic engagement.
Public Spaces
Foster Creative Expression
Celebrating freedom of expression with projects that aim to preserve and advance local arts and culture. 
Economic Opportunity
Build Community Resilience
Benefitting local economies with projects that support and fuel entrepreneurship.

20 Champions

 

The fellowship is open to U.S. residents aged 18-35 with an innovative project idea and the drive to see it through in one of Knight Foundation's 8 resident communities. Applicants may be community activists, educators, tactical urbanists, designers, artists, entrepreneurs, and more. We want diverse voices with fresh perspectives, talent, and commitment to building vibrant neighborhoods and cities.

1 Year. $5,000 + $500 Tech Bundle

 

Champions will receive $5,000 in seed funding to implement one community project in one year. Each champion will also receive a $500 tech bundle to support their project activities. We are looking for projects that respond to community needs, build on local assets, and are implemented through collaboration.

KECC Studio

 

The Knight Emerging City Champions fellowship will kick-off with an in-person KECC Studio in Toronto, Canada that will equip participants with the tools they need to begin implementing their community projects and connect them with champions across the U.S. 

The KECC Network

 

Champions join a supportive and inspiring network of peers from across the country. They receive ongoing mentorship from experts in diverse fields such as planning, design, communications, technology, and more. 8 80 Cities and Knight Foundation will expose participants to opportunities for additional funding, professional growth, and support.

Civic Tech Curriculum

 

Recognizing the growing influence of technology in our public realm, this year, and for the second time, we have teamed up with Helpful Places. This Toronto-based social impact organization is internationally recognized as leaders in civic tech, community engagement, and open innovation. By making emerging technologies in public spaces more legible for the public, Helpful Places enables organizations to foster community understanding and trust around their use of technology. Together, we aim to dig deeper and explore how to leverage technology to create thriving communities.

 

 

Are You Eligible?

Applications for the 2025-2026 period are now open! Apply here.

Applicants must be able to attend the Virtual Orientation on August 4, 2025, from 6 - 8 pm EST.
Applicants must live in the U.S., and they must be aged 18-35 years old at the time they apply.
Applicants must be able to travel to Canada between August 13 to 16, 2025, for the KECC Studio.
Applicants must propose a project that connects residents in their community, fosters creative expression, and/or builds local resilience. The project must take place in one of the 8 resident communities where Knight Foundation invests.
knight-ecc-map-2024

Thank you to our Alumni Advisory Committee

 

Meet our advisory committee of former champions who support the ongoing development and amplification of the KECC program.

Inspiring Ideas

From past champions

Christine Edwards
Amplify is a toolkit and event series that makes it easier for people to interact with local government.
Charlotte, NC
See project
Erin Salazar
The Exhibition District is a wildly ambitious, artist-initiated effort to erect over 40,000 square feet of murals in the heart of downtown.
San Jose, CA
See project
Tonja Khabir
The Bobby Jones Project organizes community members to re-envision a cultural asset through collaborative planning.
Macon, GA
See project
Timothy Jackson
Detroit Hives repurposes vacant lots into pollinator way-stations to promote urban sustainability and conservation awareness.
Detroit, MI
See Project

The Latest Stories

Civic TechCommunity ConnectionCreative ExpressionLocal ResilienePublic Spaces
April 16, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025
Downtown & Neighborhood RevitalizationEconomic OpportunityPublic Spaces
March 11, 2025