Leading Knight Foundation's Prototype Fund to spur innovation in media and community information

In response to the digital disruption journalism organizations faced, Knight Foundation started investing in innovation and technology in the field broadly. In 2012, I joined the foundation to lead a new program, the Knight Prototype Fund. The Prototype Fund was established to help organizations learn iterative, human-centered innovation practices and rapidly move from idea to prototype in the course of six months.

Through my work, we were able to develop the Prototype Fund into a pipeline that received about 1,000 applications, trained two dozen organizations in human-centered design, supported ongoing project work, and held learning events featuring pilot projects. Hundreds of organizations in the media, arts, and civic spaces launched projects through the program over several years, with nearly $30 million in funding.

Over the course of nine years, the scope and role of my work evolved at the foundation beyond the Prototype Fund, but at the core it included the following:

• Business and sustainability analysis of potential projects
• Advisory committee development and management
• Strategic partnership creation and communication
• Project oversight and evaluation
• Innovation training and stakeholder engagement
• Board communications and presentations