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Initiative Seeks to Address Local Information Needs Engaging Community Foundations |
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A $24 million initiative by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will engage community foundations in a grant-making challenge to find creative uses of media and technology to help keep communities informed and their citizens engaged. The challenge is premised on two strongly held beliefs: 1) in a democracy, information is essential for a community to function properly; it is a core need, and 2) since community foundations are established to meet core community needs, they are logical partners in meeting the information needs of communities. Knight will make $20 million available over five years to match funding for the best of these ideas. Once the winners are chosen, teams of "circuit riders" -- specialists who bring access to resources and expertise -- will be available to help community foundations address their information-needs opportunities. The project includes a Media Learning Seminar on Feb. 16-17, 2009 to help community foundations learn about the information needs of communities in a democracy. The first such seminar of this kind was held in February 2008 when Knight and the Council on Foundations co-hosted a gathering in Miami. The initiative is the fourth in a series of Media Innovation Initiatives created by Knight to address the information needs of communities in a democracy. The Knight Center for Digital Excellence, a nonprofit consultancy, helps communities across the United States ensure digital access for every citizen (www.knightcenter.info).
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