The June 1 deadline to apply for the Knight Community Information Challenge is fast approaching. What might give your application an edge? Knight recently offered some ideas and insight.

The Knight Community Information Challenge provides funding for projects that aim to inform or engage local communities. These grants match funding offered by community and place-based foundations, and this year's focus is on projects with a clear open government angle. KCIC winners also receive additional support and mentoring from Knight and from their peers.

Need ideas? Today, KCIC circuit rider Lisa Williams presented a webinar on Open Data, Open Government, and Civic Participation: Five Projects Any Community Can Try. The archived webinar will be available online shortly.

Need more ideas or inspiration? Here's more info from Knight on how community foundations are:

• Discovering how good information promotes social change
• Opening up data to local residents
• Experimenting with mobile
• Plus, case studies on how four community foundations took their KCIC projects from idea to reality

Applications must be submitted by community foundations on behalf of the project. Learn more from the KCIC FAQ and apply now!