Knight Arts + Tech Expansion Fund is sponsored by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

This fund aims to empower artists and arts organizations in Knight communities by providing resources to enhance their use of technology and engage audiences in innovative ways. It supports long-term digital capacity rather than specific projects.

Strengthening creative ecosystems and cultural vibrancy Photo credit: Shane Wynn. Courtesy of Akron Art Museum. Knight Foundation believes arts and culture are essential to thriving communities.

When creativity is embedded in civic life, communities flourish economically, socially and democratically. This approach supports artists and cultural organizations as civic leaders, business owners and architects of our shared future.

The Arts program focuses on strengthening cultural infrastructure: the networks, systems, creative projects and spaces that connect communities, drive economic growth, celebrate local identity and advance free and open expression. This approach recognizes the power of artists, cultural organizations and creative networks to help shape more connected, equitable and culturally vibrant cities.

When the arts thrive, democracy thrives, because creativity and free expression are engines of civic participation, economic growth and shared understanding. Knight’s Arts investments operate at the intersection of creativity, community and civic life.

We focus on strengthening the conditions that allow arts and culture to function not as isolated activities, but as essential infrastructure that supports economic vitality, civic participation and social connection. Our work is guided by three interconnected goals. Strengthening Cultural Ecosystems We invest in the systems and relationships that sustain creative life in our communities over time.

This includes mapping and analyzing local cultural landscapes to better understand how artists, organizations, spaces, policies and funding flows interact, and where gaps or opportunities exist. We work to integrate arts and culture into municipal and cultural planning, reflecting and uplifting each city’s distinct history, cultural strengths and creative identity.

Amplifying Artists as Civic Leaders We invest in artists and cultural organizations as trusted holders of local knowledge and vital catalysts for safeguarding freedom of expression. We support their role in shaping open, engaged and inclusive civic life and in strengthening democratic participation through creative practice. Investing in Creative Economies Creative and cultural economies are vital engines of local opportunity.

We invest in hyperlocal creative economies that open pathways to economic mobility, entrepreneurship and workforce development while reinforcing a community’s cultural vitality. These investments include artist studios, maker spaces, cultural districts, live-work spaces and anchor institutions that provide both physical and economic infrastructure.

By supporting models that blend creativity with sustainable business practices, we help build long-term resilience, ensuring that artists and cultural organizations can thrive as contributors to local economies and community life. Knight primarily funds arts and culture in the 26 communities where the Knight brothers once owned and operated newspapers.

Strong proposals are community-centered, grounded in local partnerships and clearly demonstrate how arts and culture contribute to economic vitality, civic life and community connection. We prioritize investments that strengthen a city’s broader cultural ecosystem rather than standalone projects.

This includes efforts that build shared infrastructure, support durable networks, integrate arts into civic systems and address structural barriers facing artists and cultural organizations.

We are especially interested in work that embeds arts and culture into everyday community life and public spaces; demonstrates long-term sustainability and shared public value; supports artists and cultural organizations as civic leaders and economic contributors; advances free and open expression while fostering belonging; and has the potential to scale, replicate or inform practice across Knight communities.

Through these investments, Knight seeks to ensure that arts and culture are not peripheral, but central to how communities function, connect and thrive.

Leadership and staff section Meet our experts in the field What it takes to make poetry a public experience, with Melody Santiago Cummings and Caroline Cabrera Knight Foundation relaunches $10 million initiative in 26 cities across the country Creating an artist-centered ecosystem, with Rosie Gordon-Wallace and DVCAI As Federal Arts Funding Is Decimated Every Day, One Nonprofit Is Doubling Down on Its 75-Year-Old Commitment to Culture Knight Foundation invests in the 26 communities where John S.

and James L. Knight once owned and operated newspapers, continuing their legacy of civic engagement. We are a national foundation with local roots.

We invest through extensive collaboration with partners in the communities and fields we serve. Which topics are you interested in? Are you from one of our Knight Communities?

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