Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I contact someone at Knight Foundation?

  • Call (305) 908-2600 to speak with our operator.
  • Send an email to [email protected] if you don’t know a Knight staff member’s e-mail address. 
  • Send postal mail to John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 2850 Tigertail Ave., Suite 600, Miami, FL 33133

2. Where can I get a photo of a member of Knight’s staff?

  • Check out their profile page. There’s a link next to their photo.

 3. How can I apply for a grant? 

 4. Where can I download the Knight Foundation logo? 

Visit knightlogo.org.

 5. What is Knight’s policy on indirect costs and overhead costs? 

  • We do not pay indirect administrative fees to grantee organizations.We may make exceptions if you are providing a necessary service directly related to the grant. Based on the recommendation of program staff, on an case-by-case basis, we will consider indirect fee payments of up to 10 percent of a proposed grant.

 6. Do you fund organizations outside the United States? 

  • We primarily fund U.S.-based organizations. 

 7. How often can I apply for a grant? 

  • There are no restrictions on how often you may submit a funding request.

 8. What happens after I submit a letter of inquiry? 

  • We review letters of inquiry frequently. After the review, we will send you an e-mail that either invites you to submit a full proposal, or explains why we are not interested in funding the request. (Submit one here.)

9. What are your deadlines? 

 10. Who are the Knight brothers and what is their connection to journalism? 

  • John S. “Jack” Knight and James L. “Jim” Knight founded Knight Newspapers. The company merged with Ridder Publications and became Knight-Ridder Newspapers in 1974, and eventually Knight Ridder Inc. In 2006 the McClatchy Co. purchased Knight Ridder. John S. Knight died in 1981 and James L. Knight died in 1991. The foundation is their legacy to communities where they had newspaper operations through 1991 and to the profession of journalism in general. Read more about the Knight brothers’ legacy.

 11. Are there programs Knight Foundation doesn’t fund? 

Yes. Here is a list of programs Knight prefers not to fund:

  • Requests for support of fundraising events;
  • Charities operated by service clubs;
  • Activities that are normally the responsibility of government. (The foundation will, in selective cases, join with units of government in supporting special projects.)
  • Medical research;
  • Organizations or projects whose mission is to prevent, eradicate or alleviate the effects of a specific disease;
  • Requests from hospitals (unless they are for community-wide capital campaigns with a stated goal and beginning and ending dates or for specific projects that meet foundation goals.)
  • Activities to propagate a religious faith or restricted to one religion or denomination; 
  • Support of political candidates;
  • Memorials;
  • Group travel and honoraria for distinguished guests — except in foundation initiatives;
  • Scholarships for individuals.

 12. How do I get to the foundation? 

 13. Has my grant been made? 

  • We’ll let you know by email or mail.

 14. What other foundations support journalism?