Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) Evaluation: Final Report

The Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) was undertaken as part of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s interest in the development of social entrepreneurs to promote community transformation based on Richard Florida’s creative class theory to stimulate economic development. The focus of KCCI was sponsorship of the “Creative Community Leadership Seminar” in three regions in order to “train Foundation staff and selected community leaders as creative community leaders.” Florida’s consulting firm, Creative Class Group (CCG), implemented the initiative in Charlotte, North Carolina; Duluth, Minnesota/ Superior, Wisconsin; and Tallahassee, Florida. The KCCI evaluation final report begins with an overview of the logic of KCCI. It then examines participants’ experience of the initiative, from March 2007 to March 2008, using a chronological structure: the selection of community catalysts, the initial two-day seminar, the organization of the action teams, and the history of the teams. The report concludes with a framework for evaluating the mediumand long-term impacts of KCCI on the three communities. Disciplines Civic and Community Engagement | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Comments The Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) evaluation was undertaken at the request of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/siap_knight/1 Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) Evaluation: Final Report July 2008 Prepared for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation By Mark J. Stern and Susan C. Seifert