The third Knight Cities Challenge is open for submissions, giving Lexington another chance to solidify its status as a top-tier winner of project funding in the Knight Foundation grant program.
“From a wide pool of college town talent to an energetic downtown, Lexington is already laying the groundwork for more growth and success,” said George Abbott, Knight Foundation project lead for the Knight Cities Challenge. “Through the Knight Cities Challenge, we hope to uncover new ideas that build on this momentum and make the city an even more vibrant place to live and work.”
Submissions will be accepted through Nov. 4 for the challenge. The $5 million grant pool is for projects located in or benefiting 26 communities where Knight formerly owned newspapers, including Lexington’s Herald-Leader. Submitted ideas can engage communities at any level, including through citywide, neighborhood or block-based projects, and should focus on the foundation’s designated three key drivers of city success: attracting talented people, expanding economic opportunity and creating a culture of civic engagement.
The Knight Foundation encourages submissions from anyone with a great idea, including local activists, professionals, hackers and architects. Applicants do not have to reside in a Knight community such as Lexington, but the project must be located in and benefit a Knight community. Lexington projects have won top-level grants during the challenge’s first two years.
In 2014, Lexington’s North Limestone Community Development Corp., known as NoLi CDC, was awarded $550,000 to support the transformation of the former Greyhound bus terminal on North Limestone into a hub for selling local produce and other goods, as well as an incubator for creative businesses.
“The KCC has allowed the NoLi CDC to take strides toward fulfilling our mission of connecting neighbors with resources and opportunity, and creating programs for equitable community development,” said Kristofer Nonn, NoLiCDC’s director of design and construction. “KCC has done this by funding critical research and engagement to determine what types of assets are needed in the community. This research will all be part of the North Limestone Cultural Plan to be published in November 2016. The Cultural Plan will be used to foster talent, identify opportunities, and facilitate engagement within the North Limestone Corridor.”
It was the second highest grant awarded through the Knight Cities Challenge in 2014, behind a $650,000 award to repurpose vacant space into a culinary incubator and cafe in downtown Gary, Indiana. In total, 32 winners were selected from more than 7,000 entries submitted for last year’s challenge.
Last year’s winners included a plan to enhance programming at the Lexington Public Library and nearby Phoenix Park, and an experimental project to gather data and public input on city services at the downtown Transit Center with an eye toward bolstering the planned Town Branch Commons urban park.
The top winner last year was for a project by the Lexington Public Library and was awarded $150,200. Development officer Anne Donworth submitted the project, called Phoenix Forward, which aims to transform Phoenix Park and the Central Library into a place for children and families from diverse backgrounds to learn and play together.
“The Knight Cities Challenge is exciting because it encourages us to think outside the box about how we could improve our community,” said Donworth. “KCC is helping Lexington reinvigorate an underused public space and uniting stakeholders behind a common goal with the Phoenix Forward project. We are still in the early planning stages for next summer’s pilot, but we are excited to explore the potential in the combined Phoenix Park/ Central Library location.”
Lexington’s other winning project last year was the Parking Lot Diaries by the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, which was awarded $87,200. Submitted by LDDA President and COO Jeff Fugate, the project is using the parking lot across from the Transit Center to fi eld test and evaluate the usefulness of services for Lexington’s downtown community members — particularly those who depend on public transit.
“I really appreciate how the format of the Cities Challenge elevates the cool work we are doing in Lexington as part of the national conversation,” said Fugate. “Through pop-up services and real-time feedback, Parking Lot Diaries will inform how to best utilize future investments slotted for the Transit Center and the area around it.”