The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced a $14 million investment in the city of Macon, Georgia, as it celebrates its bicentennial.

The funding will be distributed among several organizations and higher education institutions in the city to bolster the municipality’s continued growth. The National Trust for Local News will receive $5 million to launch a newsroom in Macon in collaboration with Mercer University. The university will receive an additional $5 million toward relocating the School of Medicine downtown, and Wesleyan College was awarded $505,000 to return to downtown with the opening of the college’s Leadership Lab. In addition, the Otis Redding Foundation will receive $1.5 million in support of opening the technology-forward Otis Redding Center for the Arts, the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative was awarded $1 million in support of economic and community planning to make Ocmulgee Mounds America’s next national park, and NewTown Macon will receive $1 million to help connect the 13-mile Ocmulgee Heritage Trail to the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

“At Knight, we have spent decades studying what makes cities work, and when we look at Macon, we see a shining example,” said Knight Foundation president Alberto Ibargüen. “With a clear guiding vision and strong partnerships, representative leadership, and participation from residents of all backgrounds, Macon has reimagined and transformed its urban core to a vibrant, growing community.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Sean Pavone)