Extramural Coordinated Funding

UM Submission Instructions: Knight Cities Challenge 2026

Sponsor:

Knight Foundation

Award Title:

Knight Cities Challenge

Amount:

$200,000

UM Deadline:

04/13/2026

Sponsor Deadline:

04/30/2026

Description:

Knight Foundation is currently accepting applications for the Knight Cities Challenge, a $5 million open call inviting individuals and organizations across its 26 communities to submit new, creative ideas for projects that can spark change and leave a lasting local impact.

Building on a long history of open challenges across programs, Knight democratizes access to grantmaking to unlock the best and brightest ideas. This spring, KCC returns to invest in its first cohort of community-centered solutions to local challenges and help promising ideas take root and grow.

The application period is open from April 1-30, 2026. Project ideas must focus on at least one of Knight’s investment areas: strengthening local news and information, creating pathways for economic opportunity or cultivating connection through arts, culture and the places that bring people together. Knight Foundation will invest up to $200,000 in selected projects, which are expected to be completed within one year. Applications must be submitted by April 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.

Number of Applicants University is Allowed to submit:

Multiple

Additional Requirements:

None

Sponsor Guidelines:

https://knightfoundation.org/knight-cities-challenge/

UM Nominations Process:

NOTE:The Knight Foundation released additional guidance: "For large institutions such as universities or city governments, schools or departments are considered separate entities."

The University of Minnesota is limiting submissions to one per school, department or center. Interested PIs should contact their research dean for more information on how to proceed.

Each school or department must hold an expedited internal review of prospective proposals and notify the Research and Innovation Office (collabor@umn.edu) and University of Minnesota Foundation (mindyb@umn.edu) of their nominee.

Peer Review Coordination:

multiple

Status:

No longer accepting applications.

Please note:

To be considered for peer review and internal selection, faculty must follow the above submission guidelines and meet the UM deadline as set by the office coordinating the peer review for this opportunity.

General Information

Each posting has information about the external sponsor and opportunity as well as the internal application instructions.
Opportunities can be sorted by column headings; just click on the heading to re-sort by that column.
When a link redirects you to another site, it opens in a new browser window.
If you know of an opportunity that is not on the list, please contact Kristin Mead.

Internal Requirements

Sponsor: Name of funder.
Award Title: Funding opportunity nameAmount: Range/Maximum dollar amount awarded.
UMN Deadline: Submission deadline for internal proposal as determined by the coordinating office.
Sponsor Deadline: External deadline identified by the sponsor.
Description: General information about the sponsor and the funding opportunity. Usually describes the purpose of the funding opportunity, overview of what the sponsor is looking for, including distinctive criteria. This is not meant to take the place of the sponsor guidelines; please read the sponsor guidelines before deciding to apply.
Number of Applicants University is Allowed to Submit: The maximum number of applications the sponsor will allow the university to submit.
Additional Requirements: Identifies any special requirements such as cost sharing, partners, etc.
Sponsor Guidelines: Link to the sponsor’s funding opportunity website.
UMN Nominations Process: Contains specific internal submission requirements including internal proposal instructions, deadline, eligibility, internal nomination process, contact information.
Peer Review Coordination: The name and contact email of the office coordinating the funding opportunity. RIO coordinates most limited submissions, but opportunities coordinated by other offices or programs are also posted on this webpage.
Status:
- Open: UM deadline has not passed and the opportunity is open for application.
- Forecasted: The funder has not yet formally published the opportunity. The deadline has yet to be determined.
- Archived: The opportunity has been archived by the funder.
- Spots Remaining: UMN deadline has passed, with some applicant spots still available. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- First-Come, First-Served: Applicants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact collabor@umn.edu if interested
- Contact Us: The internal deadline has passed, but no applicants were selected. Please contact the office coordinating the peer review for more information.
- In Review: Peer review process is in progress for the opportunity.
- PI Selected: The PI(s) have been selected as the official UMN nominees.
- Closed: UMN is no longer accepting applications.

UMN Selection Process

Once the internal deadline has passed, if the number of applicants is less than or equal to the number of spots the university is allowed to send forward, the applicants automatically become the UMN nominee(s).
If the status of an opportunity is "First-Come, First-Served", there was not time to hold an internal review. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
If there are no applicants, the status will change to "Contact Us". At this point, the opportunity changes to a first-come, first-served opportunity.
If there are multiple applicants, the office coordinating the nomination will determine the review criteria and coordinate the review process. The status will change to "In Review".
Once the review has been completed all parties will be notified via email.
Nominees will be provided with an email from RIO (or the designated coordinating office) indicating that they are the university's nominee. This letter should accompany the nominee's proposal.
SPA is notified of the university's nominee(s) and the status is updated to "PI(s) Selected".