The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, a longtime philanthropic partner to the Columbia community, has awarded $113,000 to two local nonprofit organizations. The projects – which include the creation of a new arts district and a trust fund focused on affordable housing – will help strengthen resident engagement in Columbia and make it a more vibrant place to live, work and play.

The selected nonprofits are located in Richland County and their projects are:

• City of Cayce’s Cayce Arts District will develop the historical downtown of Cayce into an Arts District. The district will be branded and will include painting blighted buildings, creating murals, installing sculptures, seating, and public artwork, and constructing gateway signage.
• Central Midlands Justice Ministry’s MORE Justice project is an interfaith coalition that addresses serious community-wide problems. This year, the project is engaging hundreds of residents to impact Columbia’s affordable housing crisis by establishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund with a dedicated source of annual public funding. The awarded grant will be used to implement extensive training sessions to teach grassroots leaders how to effectively foster civic engagement.

“The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with deep local roots in Columbia,” says JoAnn Turnquist, president & CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “We are thankful for Knight’s investment and ongoing support of our community.”

Knight Foundation has invested more than $841 million in community initiatives since its creation in 1950. Knight invests in the success of 26 cities where brothers John S. and James L Knight once published newspapers, including Columbia. Since their funds were established at Central Carolina Community Foundation in 1993, Knight has invested over $2 million in the Columbia area, helping to drive economic success. Knight Foundation’s work across the nation helps cities attract and retain talented people, expand economic opportunity, and create a culture of civic engagement. Knight Foundation believes that successful communities are equitable, inclusive, and participatory.

For more information on Knight Foundation, click here.