Knight Foundation commissions and funds research projects
that illuminate issues related to our funding priorities. This collection
of tools, surveys, analysis, literature, review and reference materials
is intended to be useful for grant makers, funding partners and community
leaders alike.
With better grant making in mind, we've developed
a format for evaluating the merits of different programs. Some research
is conducted by Knight and other research is developed in conjunction with
our partners. We're developing a library here on the following topics:
Lisa Klein of Hestia Advising and Deanna Gomby of Gomby consulting
conducted a cluster evaluation of the early childhood grants to estimate
community impact, promote cross-community learning and highlight
successes and challenges to implementing early childhood programs in 12
Knight Foundation communities. Since 2001, the John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation has awarded 125 early childhood grants totaling more than $50
million.
Foundations for Success (FFS) is a five-year initiative designed to
put in place a county-wide system of care for early childhood
mental health. More than 100 community partners are working to
assure that high quality services reach children where they are,
when they need help. FFS offers mental health services that were
previously unavailable or in short supply for young children, birth
through age five. Services represent the full continuum of care,
including prevention, early identification, intervention, and
intensive treatment.
In almost every area, students who attended PAC programs frequently over a
two-year period had higher reading and math achievement scores and
passing rates, better attendance, and better behavior. This was especially
true for 7th graders, indicating the importance of students beginning the
PAC program early in their middle school career.
Education may be the single most important factor influencing the future of our
communities. Populations with fewer years of education have higher rates of cardiovascular
disease, cancer, injury, smoking, and obesity. Given that education has such a positive impact on
health and overall life success, communities must take an active interest in whether our children
are physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially prepared for school.
Knight Foundation funded 39 grants in eight communities that focused on
positive outcomes for youth. To aid understanding of these grants for future
decision-making, Knight Foundation engaged Wellsys Corporation to
conduct this assessment for the period 2005-2007. Programs that had the
greatest success and possibility for sustainability were connected to many
community partners, offering joint services in some cases.
Prosperity campaigns have played a critical role in improving the economic
well-being of low-income, working families, boosting income levels and
lifting many families out of poverty. Knight Foundation-funded organizations
are part of efforts to secure and return EITC dollars to low-income working
families in targeted communities. For example, in 2005, the Knight
Foundation-funded organizations included in this study, collectively, operated
118 free tax preparation sites, prepared and filed over 16,000 federal
income tax returns, and returned close to $22 million in federal refunds to
their local communities, including $9 million in EITC refunds.
Prosperity campaigns have played a critical role in improving the economic
well-being of low-income, working families, boosting income levels and
lifting many families out of poverty. Knight Foundation-funded organizations
are part of efforts to secure and return EITC dollars to low-income working
families in targeted communities. For example, in 2005, the Knight
Foundation-funded organizations included in this study, collectively, operated
118 free tax preparation sites, prepared and filed over 16,000 federal
income tax returns, and returned close to $22 million in federal refunds to
their local communities, including $9 million in EITC refunds.
The overall objective of this evaluation of One Economy’s Digital Communities
program is to examine the impact that having a computer with Internet
access at home has on peoples’ lives. The evaluation has sought to measure
and describe how the program has influenced attitudes and behaviors that
can lead to improved economic and social outcomes for low-income families
through the strategic use of technology. From this examination, One
Economy can assess the program effects in ways that will contribute to its
further efforts to improve the lives of low-income individuals and communities
through strategic use of technology.
Knight Foundation’s Community Partners in Arts Access (CPAA) initiative
included 20 arts organizations focused on increasing arts participation in
communities in North Philadelphia and Camden. University of Pennsylvania
Social Impact of the Arts Project evaluated the program to assess changes in
cultural participation. A second component of the initiative was to develop
partnerships among arts and non-arts organizations to increase sense of
community and improve the likelihood for sustainability. The evaluation
highlights a number of community outreach strategies utilized by the
groups. These strategies linked to other neighborhood revitalization efforts
have the greatest potential for community impact
By Mark J. Stern and Susan C. Seifert; A collaboration of the Social Impact of the Arts Project and The Reinvestment Fund funded by The Rockefeller Foundation. Can the arts and culture play a central role in revitalizing American cities? Over the past decade, a number of cities have answered this question affirmatively. For the most part, they have turned to big-ticket downtown cultural districts as the strategy to expand their “creative economy.” At the same time, skeptics like Joel Kotkin have ridiculed this approach as the creation of “the ephemeral city” that ignores the fundamentals of good city-building for the illusion of urban vitality.
This report summarizes the work of the Social Impact of the Arts Project (SIAP) on its evaluation of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Community Partners in Arts Access (CPAA) initiative in Philadelphia and Camden.
This memo reports on
the initial findings of the experience of KCCI participants from the selection of catalysts
during the late winter of 2007 through October 2007.
The report begins with an overview of the logic of KCCI. It then examines participants’
experience of the initiative using a chronological structure: the selection of catalysts, the
initial two-day seminar, the organization of the action or initiative teams, and the history
of the teams to this point. The memo concludes with some general observations about
participants’ perceptions of the initiative.
The first year evaluation report on the Immigrant Participation & Immigration
Reform (IPIR) initiative tells a story of human and social development newcomers
joining and strengthening the democracy-among immigrants
whose institutions engage them in organizational self-governance, leadership
opportunities, and democratic civic activity. Indeed, evidence suggests
that it is the quality of these organizations that draws immigrants into participation:
Sixty-three percent of respondents said that one of their major
motivations to be active in the community was that “I like being a part of an
organization that does good work.”
This report documents Biloxi’s potential to become a major American
destination for people seeking a mix of tourist and entertainment activities. The question is whether that future Biloxi will be a city
built on its original core values of hard work, economic
diversity, and respect for its rich cultural legacy—or if it
will be a city like many others, where development has
proceeded unmindful of the character and traditions that
give a city its defining sense of place.
This is the final report of an evaluation conducted by Patrizi Associates of the
Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania
(CUREx) program. Over three years, key participants in the fellowship
program were followed to understand the impact the placements had on the
individual’s career goals; host organizations; and, the field-at-large. The
program showed mixed results with smaller nonprofits benefiting more than
more established redevelopment firms. Although fellows reported satisfaction
with their placements for the most part, the program has yet to demonstrate
whether they will become leaders in the field.
The Impunity Project was created to end impunity for attacks against journalists
in the Americas. The Inter-American Press Association is one of very
few organizations making this work one of its main agendas. Over the past
18 years there have been 299 journalists murdered in the Americas. Since the
start of the Impunity Project, the IAPA has deeply investigated 57 murder
cases. There have been 63 sentences in 25 of those cases. The number of jail
sentences for crimes against journalists in the Americas has more than
doubled because of the IAPA effort.
