About the 26
Knight Communities
Emerging City Champions is led by 8 80 Cities and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight Foundation’s work is national in scope, but it has a special focus on 26 communities across the United States where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.
These communities are: Aberdeen, SD; Akron, OH; Biloxi, MS; Boulder, CO; Bradenton, FL; Charlotte, NC; Columbia, SC; Columbus, GA; Detroit MI; Duluth, MN; Ft. Wayne, IN; Gary, IN; Grand Forks, ND; Lexington, KY; Long Beach, CA; Macon, GA; Miami, FL; Milledgeville, GA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Palm Beach County, FL; Philadelphia, PA; San Jose, CA; State College, PA; St. Paul, MN; Tallahassee, FL; and Wichita, KS.
About Knight Foundation’s Goals
Emerging City Champions must implement their project in one of 26 communities where Knight Foundation invests.
In the selection process, priority will be given to your project if it:
- Addresses Knight’s goals for your city (see below); or
- Supports Knight’s Smart City Strategy, which invests in technology-enabled efforts that help residents connect to each other and become more informed, and that help cities be more responsive to residents.
Learn more about Knight Foundation’s goals for each of the 26 Knight cities: