This week the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation unveiled a new initiative to fund development of technology that enables broad-based civic engagement, amplify what it means to be a citizen, and ultimately revitalizes democracy.

The new Tech for Engagement initiative kicks off with $9 million in funding for Code for America, New York University and TED.

In a blog post, Knight's national program director Damian Thorman explained that while there have been many successes in engagement technology, "many of these innovations are limited in scope and scalability. The potential of Tech for Engagement will only be realized when connected citizens not only report potholes, but use technology to address society's big problems and opportunities. Market forces aren't -- yet -- propelling droves of people into civic tech careers. To push the field, funders need to step in to help build a corps of civic-minded technologists who are passionate about using their skills for the greater good."

With nearly $1 million of the funding, Knight is helping to build aTED engagement platform. This will enable members of the TED community to engage and turn ideas into action -- and also measure the impact of those ideas.

Through this initiative, Knight is also working with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University to create a learning network of technologists and social entrepreneurs at leading universities around the country. In addition to providing training, this network will help about 100 U.S. communities identify challenges that technology can solve. And Knight is also helping Code for America reach 13 communities.