KF
Knight Foundation
Foundation · Founded 1950 · Miami, United States
Who Knight Foundation is.
- Historical Background
- The Knight Foundation was established in 1950, originating from the Knight Memorial Education Fund created by newspaper publishers John S. and James L. Knight. Initially focused on providing college scholarships, the foundation expanded its scope to include grants for journalism, communities, and the arts, reflecting the founders' interests.
- Source of Capital
- The foundation's capital is derived from the wealth of the Knight family, whose fortune was built on a successful newspaper business. In its early years, the foundation's funding was supplemented by contributions from the Akron Beacon Journal and the Miami Herald.
- Allocation Strategy
- The Knight Foundation's grant-making is concentrated on journalism, arts and culture, and community development. While national in scope, the foundation maintains a particular focus on 26 communities where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. The foundation's investment strategy includes supporting non-profit news organizations and fostering the use of technology in its core focus areas.
The funds Knight Foundation backs.
Knight Foundation is a limited partner in 124 funds. 18 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.


























How Knight Foundation’s fund book is spread.
The 124 funds Knight Foundation backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.
Where those managers are based
By fund headquarters, across the 120 of 124 with a location on record.
- North America 10184%
- Europe 1311%
- Rest of world 65%
United States 101 · United Kingdom 10 · China 3 · Germany 1
How established those managers are
Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 65 of 124 with a fund history on record.
The companies Knight Foundation backs directly.
Knight Foundation holds 94 companies directly, separate from the funds it commits to as a limited partner. Broken down by headquarters country, sector, entry stage and current growth stage. "Stage entered" is the first priced round the investor joined, derived from the investor’s transaction history.
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USA84
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Canada3
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UK2
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Kenya1
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South Africa1
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Media30
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Education13
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Enterprise Software7
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Telecom7
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Fintech5
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Marketing4
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Event Tech3
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Kids3
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Legal3
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Music3
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Security3
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Sports2
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Seed28
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Series A12
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Series B+5
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Early Growth47
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Breakout Stage24
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Late Growth7
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Mature1
Inside Knight Foundation’s portfolio.
The 60 highest-funded portfolio companies, of 94 tracked.
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Pi
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Ra
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Ak
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UR
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PR
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Pl
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NeWhere Knight Foundation’s portfolio founders come from.
88 founders across the 94 highest-funded portfolio companies — by current location, university attended, and the companies they worked at before founding. Sourced from the founder records the API links to each portfolio company.
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United States64
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Canada3
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United Kingdom3
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France2
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Germany2
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Israel2
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Argentina1
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Australia1
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Ireland1
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Senegal1
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Stanford University4
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Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism3
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology3
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Washington University in St. Louis3
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Dartmouth College2
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Harvard Kennedy School2
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London School of Economics and Political Science2
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University of Buenos Aires2
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University of Pennsylvania2
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University of Southern California2
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Stanford University4
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Alphabet | Google3
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X.3
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ABC2
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Amazon2
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Bucksurgical2
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Lockwood Financial Group2
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MIT Media Lab2
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NASA2
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Teach For America2
Other LPs.
Other foundations in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to Knight Foundation by combined power-law score — North America first, then the nearest worldwide.