Eligibility

Applicants to the Knight Foundation Fund must be:

• In good standing as a nonprofit with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
• Currently exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3) and classified as organizations to which contributions are deductible under Section 170(c)(2), normally a public charity under Section 509(a).
• A government entity with an innovative project within the scope of the Knight Foundation Fund’s grantmaking framework that benefits the community.

Funding Priority

The purpose of the grants made from the Knight Foundation Fund is to foster informed, engaged communities in Milledgeville and Baldwin County, Georgia. Informed and engaged communities are places where the largest possible number of people have the opportunity to belong, care, and take action in their own true interests.

Specifically, the Knight Foundation Fund supports the success of communities through investments that attract, retain, and harness talent; that expand opportunity by increasing entrepreneurship and economic mobility; and that support civic infrastructure to accelerate the growth of ideas and bring people from diverse social and economic backgrounds together.

Knight Foundation Fund’s framework for grantmaking includes three areas:

1. Talent: We invest in projects that find, attract, and retain talented people – residents, immigrants, and entrepreneurs – and help them get connected or reconnected to their communities. These projects will help drive economic growth, job creation, and neighborhood revitalization.
2. Place: We invest in projects that accelerate talent and opportunity – projects that:
   • Connect assets and people.
   • Attract and retain talent.
   • Foster economic integration.
   • Result in a change that can be felt in the near term.
   • Incorporate quality design and new tools or technologies.
   • Respond and are authentic to the community.
   • Are sustainable.
   • Leverage public and private partners and enhance market potential.
3. Civic Innovation: We invest in innovation in governance and civic capacity. Promoting civic innovation and robust engagement will enable communities to succeed in a rapidly changing world. We invest in projects that seek to break down the barriers between citizens and government.

Geographic Restrictions

Grants will be made only to organizations for projects in Milledgeville, Baldwin County.

Maximum Grant Amount

While there is not a maximum grant amount per organization, there is a total amount available for grants each year.  The total amount available for grants each year is approximately $90,000.

Frequency an Organization can Apply

There are no restrictions on how often an organization can apply to the Knight Foundation Fund.

Grant Award Schedule

This fund accepts applications year round.

How to apply

Prior to submitting an application, you should contact our office to discuss your idea. We can help you think through the project and determine if it is a good fit for the Knight Foundation Fund.

Once you have spoken with us, you will need a User ID and Password to access the application. Click here to register. Please note that it will take at least one business day to process a new registration for the Web Portal, do not wait until the week of the deadline to register. Once your registration is processed, complete the application. You will be required to upload the following documents as PDF files. You may click on the links below to see a sample.

Project Budget Summary – should include all revenue sources (requested, pending, and received) and expenses for the specific project.

Board Authorization Letter – should be a statement from the organization’s Board of Directors authorizing the request and agreeing to complete the project if funded.

Board of Directors/Trustees List – should include directors’/trustees’ individual terms of office and their individual percentage of participation in the organization’s Board meetings.

Organization’s Current Annual Operating Budget – should be a report of the organization’s planned budget indicating projected revenue and expenses for the current fiscal year.

Current IRS Determination Letter – should indicate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. If no designation, a statement detailing the status of an application with the Federal Government or future application plans may be submitted, along with a statement of charitable purpose.

Most Recent Financial Audit Report or Most Recent IRS Form 990 – If your organization has both, please submit the Financial Audit Report.

You will also be asked to answer the following questions:

• What is the project? List key activities, the timetable for implementation, and results.
• What is the purpose of the project?
• What makes your group the right one to do this work?
• Why is this a good fit for Knight Foundation funding? Here you will need to be able to explain how this fits with Knight’s strategies of talent, opportunity, and civic innovation.
• How will you know you’ve succeeded? How will you measure your results?

Reporting Requirements

All recipients of a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund for Milledgeville must submit a final letter detailing the outcome of the project and how the grant funds were used.  Final letters should be mailed to CFCG at 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1600 Macon, GA 31201.  Final letters are due within sixty days after depletion of the grant funds, prior to submitting a new grant application, or no later than one year from the date when you applied for your grant, whichever is earliest. For example, if you applied for a grant on November 1, 2016, cycle, your final letter is due no later than November 1, 2017. To be eligible for future grants, the Community Foundation must have completed final reports or final letters on file for all previously awarded grants when submitting a new grant application.

How to talk about your grant

In all materials, describe your funding as a Knight Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia Grant.

News Releases:  Promote your project with a news release to the local media. If you’re inviting the media out to cover your project or event, please invite us too by sending the information to grants@cfcga.org. We would also like to share your news releases with our contacts, please include grants@cfcga.org as a release contact.

Social Media:  Spread the word about your project through social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. You can find the Community Foundation on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, under the name CFCGA, and on Instagram under “cfcentralga”. We encourage you to tag us in your posts.

Logo:  You are welcome and encouraged to use the Knight Foundation Fund logo on any collateral materials about your project, including websites, email blasts, brochures, and posters. You can download our logo by clicking here. A copy of any materials created should be submitted with your final report.

How these grants are made possible

These grants are made possible by the Knight Foundation Fund, a donor advised fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation staff serve as the advisor to this fund.

Previous Grant Recipients

2017 Knight Foundation Fund Grants

Twin Lakes Library System- $50,000
Business Incubator

Georgia’s Old Capital Museum Society – $25,000
Depot Diner

City of Milledgeville – $20,000
Comprehensive Wayfinding Signage System