Knight Emerging City Champions fellowship – May 28

Posted by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on May 6, 2025

Knight Foundation, 8 80 Cities invite applications for Knight Emerging City Champions fellowship, micro-grant program

8 80 Cities and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have announced that applications are now open for the 2025-26 Knight Emerging City Champions (KECC) fellowship and micro-grant program.

The program invites young civic innovators, ages 18-35, who are passionate about driving transformative change in Knight Foundation’s eight resident communities 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. Applicants must propose a project that connects residents in their community, fosters creative expression, and/or builds local resilience.

Twenty 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. The program will run from August 2025 to August 2026.

The program is accepting applications from residents ages 18-35 from the following cities: Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; Macon, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Jose, California; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Applicants must live in the United States, and they must be ages 18-35 years old at the time they apply.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the Knight Emerging City Champions website.

Deadline: May 28, 2025