As the Nov. 14 deadline to enter the Knight Cities Challenge approaches, key Knight Foundation representatives have been touring the U.S., speaking at live events in each of the 26 Knight Communities to help community members understand why and how to participate.

At their October 30 event in Boulder, Colorado, hosted by the Community Foundation of Boulder County, Knight Foundation representatives George Abbott (Special Assistant to the VP/Community and National Initiatives) and Bahia Ramos (Director/Community Foundations) addressed an audience of over 100 local people interested in learning more about the Challenge.

After giving a short talk explaining the purpose and process of the Challenge, Abbott and Ramos answered questions and clarified the process.

For instance, Abbott explained that applications can involve multiple Knight Cities; although it's deliberately simple and short, the application form does accommodate this. Also, submitted ideas need not be entirely new -- applicants can seek resources to expand existing local projects. And collaborations (with community foundations or other funders or partners) are definitely welcome, to the extent that such collaboration makes sense.

Regarding the Challenge goals, Knight's vision of "talent" is predicated mainly on people with college degrees. However "economic opportunity" and "engagement" are more broadly construed -- to, say, capitalize on the growing trend toward independent work.

Ramos clarified the geographic focus of the Challenge. While winning applications must be implemented in one of the Knight Communities, in practice this can extend beyond the city limits of each community on that list. The geographic boundaries actually reflect the catchment area of the current or former Knight-Ridder newspapers in those communities. For instance, for Boulder, Colo., submitted ideas could be implemented anywhere in Boulder County -- which encompasses nine towns in addition to the City of Boulder, as well as substantial unincorporated and rural areas.

This is especially relevant given the goals of the Cities Challenge (attracting and retaining talent, fostering economic opportunity, and sparking civic engagement.) Key demographics tied to these goals (income, educational attainment, and more) are strikingly different for the affluent college town of Boulder -- compared to the more rural and working-class nearby city of Longmont, or the commuter bedroom town of Superior.

Fostering connections beyond the Challenge

At the Boulder event, representatives of local nonprofits and funders spoke up to indicate interest in connecting with local Knight Cities Challenge applicants. One attendee said, "I run a fund for local green investing. I'd really love to connect with people who submit ideas that might be relevant to protecting the environment."

While applications to this Challenge are not public, Ramos said that Knight will be sharing with its community foundation partner in each Knight Community information about applications from or about their community. From there, community foundations can foster connections and collaborations beyond the Cities Challenge. (To find local community foundation contacts for each Knight Community, click on the city name on this page.)

In an interview after the Boulder event, Ramos reflected that a key benefit of these live events is that they attract a greater diversity of people, and get them connected with local leaders and funders in ways that don't often happen.

"It's an open arena where community foundations can hear new voices, connect with people that they're not always involved with -- reaching beyond donors and nonprofits. The local funders are all very curious about this, and they're excited to see who's coming to the table and learn who has good ideas in their communities."

For instance, Knight and many community foundations have been pleasantly surprised by the interest and participation of architects in the Cities Challenge. "Architects think about how cities are designed, about place as an accelerator of engagement and talent. Architects, designers and developers are voices we haven't tapped into much before."

Nov. 7 & 13: Get your Cities Challenge questions answered online. In addition to a few remaining local events, Knight is also holding online office hours on those dates. RSVP now.

Knight Cities Challenge: LEARN MORE AND APPLY NOW
Deadline: Nov. 14