Grantmakers in the News

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced a $250,000 investment in a strategic planning process for the redevelopment of East Biloxi — the city of Biloxi's oldest, most culturally diverse, and poorest neighborhood.

The goal of the project, a collaborative effort involving Living Cities, a coalition of national foundations, financial institutions, and a federal agency that works to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods in American cities, the Mississippi Development Authority, the city of Biloxi, and Biloxi residents and corporate leaders, is to establish priorities and standards to guide the rebuilding of East Biloxi, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and to use the approaches developed there as models for other parts of the city. The challenge is to create a stable, sound residential environment that balances the need for new, affordable housing for the neighborhood's largely African-American population with the re-establishment of the casino/entertainment industry, which is important to the region's economy.

The Knight Foundation's investment will be complemented by a $125,000 contribution from the Mississippi Development Authority; additional funds will be raised from the business community. Living Cities and some of its members will provide organizational development assistance at no cost.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the residents of East Biloxi to help ensure that their neighborhood is rebuilt in a manner responsive to their needs," said Stephanie Trapp, the Knight Foundation's program director for Biloxi. "And this isn't just good for them. This process can set a standard for how redevelopment should go in the rest of the city and along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast."

Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit, Knight Foundation made a $1 million investment that formed half the funding for the Mississippi Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal. The commission’s work — including a series of intensive public design workshops — has resulted in a detailed plan offering over 200 separate recommendations for rebuilding 11 communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The East Biloxi plan is the next step in this process.

Since funding to Biloxi began in 1987, Knight has invested $7.8 million in the area, including $1 million in emergency funding in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, split between first responders, the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

Knight, a member of Living Cities and a national foundation with local roots in Biloxi, supports communities where its founders owned newspapers.