What We Fund

Knight Foundation believes arts and culture are at the core of community, connecting people to place and to one another. Investing in arts and culture is central to Knight’s effort to build stronger, better informed and more engaged communities, which are critical for a more effective democracy.

Knight Foundation funds the application of technology to the creation, dissemination and experience of art.  We invest across genres and increase the impact of our work by focusing funding in the eight communities Knight supports.

By applying technology to arts and culture, artists and arts organizations strengthen ties with communities while fostering meaningful connections between people and place.

Digital Transformation

The application of technology to arts and culture is the primary means for bringing about digital transformation. For the application of technology to be transformative, it must be:

Informed: The application of technology is reflective of what is happening in the market and what is to come. Practitioners use discovery, validated learning and structured experimentation to make informed decisions.
Strategic: The application of technology is critical to implementing organizational vision. Practitioners look beyond the current project to cement long-term increases in capacity.
Innovative: The application of technology involves informed experimentation. Practitioners have the courage to take creative risks, invent new practices and explore proven practices in new contexts.

Funding Strategy

Knight amplifies and accelerates work in the communities we fund by supporting digital transformation in the arts in two ways:

Discovery and exploration: Investments will focus on creating new work, developing emerging practices and understanding the sector through fellowships, forums, research and critique.
Digital infrastructure: Investments will focus on increasing the overall capacity of arts organizations through support for planning, staffing and investments in technical infrastructure.

Outcomes

Knight Foundation becomes synonymous with digital transformation in the arts by supporting the application of technology. Digital transformation will bring about the following outcomes:

Arts practitioners move seamlessly between digital and physical spaces;
Arts practitioners apply technology to attract, retain and grow audiences;
Art produced using technology is exhibited, critiqued and preserved.

Convenings

In the midst of rapid digital transformation, artists and arts organizations are harnessing technology to expand horizons, foster connections and redefine boundaries. At Catalyst, Knight’s forum for leaders at the forefront of innovation in the arts, leaders at the forefront of innovation consider the implications of digital transformation in the arts through the lenses of sustainability, ethics and exploration and identify opportunities to enhance the creation, application and dissemination of art.