{"id":381299,"date":"2023-09-19T12:58:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T16:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/?post_type=press-release&p=381299"},"modified":"2023-09-19T12:58:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T16:58:14","slug":"on-macons-bicentennial-knight-foundation-extends-its-commitment-to-macons-news-music-culture-and-downtown-amenities","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/press\/releases\/on-macons-bicentennial-knight-foundation-extends-its-commitment-to-macons-news-music-culture-and-downtown-amenities\/","title":{"rendered":"On Macon\u2019s bicentennial, Knight Foundation extends its commitment to Macon’s news, music, culture and downtown amenities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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September 10, 2023<\/strong><\/em> \u2013\u2013 As Macon celebrates 200 years since its founding this year, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $14 million<\/strong> into the city\u2019s continued growth. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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The National Trust for Local News<\/strong> will receive $5 million to launch a newsroom in Macon in collaboration with Mercer University. In higher education, Mercer University<\/strong> will receive $5 million toward relocating the School of Medicine downtown, and $505,000 will go to Wesleyan College<\/strong> to return to downtown with the opening of the college\u2019s Leadership Lab. In arts, the Otis Redding Foundation <\/strong>will receive $1.5 million to support the opening of the technology-forward Otis Redding Center for the Arts. In the community, $1 million will go to the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative<\/strong> for economic and community planning for Ocmulgee Mounds\u2019 path to being America\u2019s next national park and $1 million will go to NewTown Macon<\/strong> to connect the thirteen-mile Ocmulgee Heritage Trail to the Pleasant Hill neighborhood. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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\u201cAt Knight, we have spent decades studying what makes cities work and when we look at Macon, we see a shining example,\u201d said Alberto Ibarg\u00fcen, president of Knight Foundation. \u201cWith a clear guiding vision and strong partnerships, representative leadership and participation from residents of all backgrounds, Macon has reimagined and transformed its urban core to a vibrant, growing community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Knight Newspapers purchased the Macon Telegraph and News and the Milledgeville Union-Recorder in 1969, but the Knight connection to middle Georgia runs deeper. John S. and James L. Knight\u2019s father, Charles Landon Knight, was born in Milledgeville. Beverly Knight Olson, one of James\u2019s four daughters and foundation trustee since 1987, currently lives in Macon.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Aligned with a commitment to support Knight communities, Knight Foundation has invested almost $60 million in Macon to date. Dedicated to reinvigorating the urban core, fostering community engagement and nurturing a dynamic creative economy, Knight\u2019s investments are focused on inspiring an informed and engaged community. The foundation does this by investing in local journalism, economic development through entrepreneurial and business initiatives, and improving public spaces for enhanced accessibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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National Trust for Local News<\/strong> ($5 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Knight Foundation is investing in an exciting new initiative to strengthen community journalism in Macon. The National Trust for Local News will lead an initiative to launch a new source for local news in Macon, in collaboration with Mercer University\u2019s Center for Collaborative Journalism and DuBose Porter\u2019s Courier Herald Publishing Group. The Trust pairs national infrastructure and technology with local knowledge to ensure long-term, sustainable, independent community news. The National Trust for Local News is dedicated to creating stronger communities by building sustainable community news organizations.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Mercer University ($5 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Knight is focused on supporting downtown revitalization efforts alongside local partners, ensuring a downtown for all to live, work and engage. That\u2019s why Knight is investing in relocating the Mercer School of Medicine from the university\u2019s main campus to downtown. The new planned facility, at over 80,000 square feet, will better accommodate the growing and evolving technology needs of medical education and research, and bring hundreds of faculty, staff and students directly into downtown. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Wesleyan College ($505,000)<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Knight is also helping Wesleyan College re-establish a presence in downtown Macon with the opening of the Wesleyan College Leadership Lab, a hub for women-centered leadership and entrepreneurship programming for public events and a venue to exhibit the college’s art collection. Wesleyan College was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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The Otis Redding Center for the Arts ($1.5 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Investing in arts and culture, which connect people to place and to one another, is central to Knight\u2019s effort to build stronger communities. To further that work, Knight is investing in the expanded use of technology throughout the Otis Redding Center for the Arts. This will further their mission of empowering, enriching and motivating young people through programs and arts education.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative ($1 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Knight Foundation is investing to support economic and community planning for Ocmulgee Mounds\u2019 path to being America\u2019s 64th National Park and Georgia\u2019s first National Park. If named, the park is expected to attract over 1 million annual visitors and bring over $200 million in economic benefit to the region, with downtown Macon positioned as the main entrance to the park.  <\/p>\n<\/div>

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NewTown Macon ($1 million)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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And lastly, connecting the historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood to downtown Macon via a bike and pedestrian path, Knight Foundation is investing in a 1-mile extension of the existing 13-mile Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. This Macon Action Plan<\/a> inspired project will complement  $1.4 million from the State of Georgia\u2019s American Rescue Plan Act funding, to upgrade Linear Park,<\/a> adding improved sidewalk design, programming, shade structures and pavilions, and addition of a basketball court. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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###<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

September 10, 2023 \u2013\u2013 As Macon celebrates 200 years since its founding this year, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $14 million into the city\u2019s continued growth.  The National Trust for Local News will receive $5 million to launch a newsroom in Macon in collaboration with Mercer University. In higher education, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":381309,"template":"","meta":{"knight_foundation_app_header_links":[],"knight_foundation_app_newsletter_config":"","knight_foundation_app_open_graph_description":"As Macon celebrates 200 years since its founding this year, Knight is investing $14 million into the city\u2019s continued growth.","knight_foundation_app_open_graph_image":381306,"knight_foundation_app_open_graph_title":"Knight extends its commitment to Macon","knight_foundation_app_subnav_title":"","knight_foundation_app_subnav_hide":false,"knight_foundation_app_table_of_contents":[],"kfa_extensions_suppress_hero_gradient":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"knight_foundation_app_thumbnail_image":381309,"knight_foundation_app_hide_date":true,"knight_foundation_app_hide_author":true},"tags":[],"communities":[5136],"challenges":[],"topics":[],"program-areas":[41,12889,12890],"coauthors":[13958],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/381299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/72"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/381299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":382581,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/381299\/revisions\/382581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381299"},{"taxonomy":"communities","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/communities?post=381299"},{"taxonomy":"challenges","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenges?post=381299"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=381299"},{"taxonomy":"program-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program-areas?post=381299"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/knightfoundation.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=381299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}