The Community Foundation of North Florida (CFNF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Knight Foundation Fund grants, awarded to six local organizations to advance creativity, education, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. These grants total $190,000 and reflect Knight’s commitment to strengthening community resilience, supporting innovation, and expanding opportunities for residents in Leon County.
The Knight Foundation annually supports the Tallahassee community through its endowed fund at CFNF, with a goal to have an impact in revitalizing the downtown and bordering communities, attract and retain talented people, and promote economic opportunity through projects in smart design, the arts, and entrepreneurship.
The 2025 Knight Foundation Fund grant recipients are as follows:
1. Council on Cultural Arts (COCA) – $20,000: To support The Art of Resiliency: Arts & Culture Impact, a three-part initiative to strengthen arts organizations through professional development, enhance data practices for greater community impact, and showcase sector resilience through economic data collection and dissemination in partnership with local stakeholders.
2. ASPIRE Capital Region – $10,000: To expand the ASPIRE Data Dashboard fully integrating the Gates Foundation’s Education-to-Workforce Framework, equipping regional leaders with actionable data to improve talent pipeline alignment, workforce planning, and economic development.
3. FAMU Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – $20,000: To enhance support for the FANG (Founders Accelerated Network Group) Incubator and Accelerator Programs, fostering inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility among underserved communities in Tallahassee’s urban core.
4. The Village Square – $5,000: To reintroduce Speed Date Your Local Leaders, a civic engagement event offering residents informal, rotating conversations with community leaders to foster mutual connection, understanding, and access.
5. South City Foundation – $35,000: To continue to expand its work through the recruitment of additional Block Champions, the establishment of a leadership program, and neighborhood events designed to strengthen social cohesion and community leadership in South City. Block Champions are South City residents that take a pivotal leadership role in driving effective civic engagement and working collaboratively to address community issues.
6. LaunchPoint Tallahassee- $100,000: In collaboration with strategic community partners, CFNF will launch a 12-month pilot initiative, LaunchPoint Tallahassee, to equip high school students, young adults, and early career-switchers with the skills needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving economy. This initiative blends digital training, career coaching, and wrap-around support to create an inclusive pathway to early employment and community resilience.
For more information on the Knight Foundation Fund or to learn more about these and other initiatives supported by CFNF, visit www.cfnf.org or contact Katrina Rolle at 850-222-2899 or krolle@cfnf.org.