Which foundation was established by the founders of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain?

The foundation established by the founders of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain was the Knight Foundation, formally the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The organization began as the Charles L. Knight Memorial Education Fund in 1940, created with the help of John S. Knight and James L. Knight to provide scholarships for Akron students. It was incorporated as the Knight Foundation in Ohio in 1950 and later took its current formal name. The brothers were central figures in the newspaper business that became Knight Ridder after Knight Newspapers merged with Ridder Publications in 1974.

The foundation is legally independent from the newspaper company. Its early funding came largely from Knight newspapers and family assets, while later bequests—including substantial estates from the Knight brothers—greatly expanded its resources.

Today, the foundation is especially associated with journalism, but it also supports arts and culture, research, and community development. “Knight Ridder Fund” is a plausible-sounding distractor, not the organization’s canonical name. Ridder’s family and company were part of the newspaper merger, but the foundation carries the Knight brothers’ name.