Making local public information more personalized, usable, and actionable for all Americans.

Can a mobile app improve the quality of life for a farmer in America's heartland? Can a web app help school children in Detroit, MI? 

The Knight Foundation and the FCC challenge you to develop a software application (app) that delivers personalized, actionable information to people that are least likely to be online. Using hyper-local government and other public data you should develop an app that enables Americans to benefit from broadband communications -- regardless of geography, race, economic status, disability, residence on Tribal land, or degree of digital or English literacy -- by providing easy access to relevant content.

The Apps for Communities Challenge is an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (“Knight Foundation”) and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). The Challenge will offer up to $100,000 in prizes to winning application developers and is intended to bring together providers of public data, developers, and traditionally underserved populations through a national contest. The goals of the Challenge are to:

• make local public information more personalized, usable, and accessible for all Americans;
• promote broadband adoption, particularly among Americans who are less likely to be regular Internet users (including low-income, rural, seniors, people with disabilities and the low digital/English literacy communities); and
• create better links between Americans and services provided by local, state, Tribal, and federal governments.

For example, you can create an app that gives consumers and small businesses valuable information about their communities in an easy to understand, mostly graphic way on their cell phones; an app that delivers contract and seasonal job post alerts in English and Spanish via text message; an app that connects people to health care in their communities via public transportation; or an app that makes it easy for people with limited digital or English proficiency to go through intro screens without extensive instructions or pressing many tiny keys.  

The FCC seeks to promote broadband deployment and adoption for all Americans.  New applications can pull new users online, as well as increase the value of a broadband connection for existing users. 

Consistent with the Knight Foundation’s mission to foster informed and engaged communities and FCC’s goal to encourage broadband adoption and deployment, the FCC and Knight Foundation are co-sponsoring this Challenge.  With this contest, we want to reward experiments—good ideas—small ideas with big impact that can be replicated throughout the country.