Training Grants

Knight Emerging City Champions Program 2025-2026 for People in the U.S. ($5,000 in seed funding)

Posted on: 10 May, 2025 Deadline: 28 May, 2025

The program invites young civic innovators, ages 18-35, passionate about driving transformative change in Knight Foundation's eight resident communities to apply. This is a unique opportunity to receive funding and build leadership skills while contributing to meaningful, creative solutions for local challenges.

The program seeks creative young leaders with bold ideas that strengthen trust and community connection, foster creative expression and build local resilience.

The KECC program was created to support and better equip emerging leaders with the resources and training to turn their ideas into action. This will be the eighth cohort of KECC. Since its inception in 2015, the program has helped catalyze more than 130 public space and civic engagement projects in communities across eight Knight cities. Projects have ranged from beehives and jukeboxes to mentorship programs and gamified co-design tools.

Eligibility Criteria for Knight Emerging City Champions Program 2025-2026 for People in the U.S. ($5,000 in seed funding)

The program is accepting applications from residents aged 18-35 from the following U.S. cities: Akron, OH; Charlotte, NC; Detroit, MI; Macon, GA; Miami, FL; Philadelphia, PA; San Jose, CA; and St. Paul, MN. The deadline is May 28th, 2025, 11:59 pm EDT (8:59 pm PDT).

Applicants must live in the U.S., and they must be aged 18-35 years old at the time they apply.
Applicants must be able to travel to Canada between August 13 to 16, 2025, for the KECC Studio.
Applicants must propose a project that connects residents in their community, fosters creative expression, and/or builds local resilience. The project must take place in one of the 8 resident communities where Knight Foundation invests.
Applicants must be able to attend the Virtual Orientation on August 4, 2025, from 6 - 8 pm EST.

Benefits of Knight Emerging City Champions Program 2025-2026 for People in the U.S. ($5,000 in seed funding)

Twenty successful applicants will receive $5,000 in seed funding and a $500 tech grant to help implement their project idea, ongoing virtual training, technical support from 8 80 Cities and access to a national network of

creative urbanists.