Knight Foundation, Columbia University launch First Amendment Institute, $60 million project to promote free expression in the digital age

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Columbia University announced the creation of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. The $60 million effort will seek to preserve and expand First Amendment rights in the digital age through research and education, and by supporting litigation in favor of protecting freedom of expression and the press.

The main activities of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University will be in the areas of litigation, research and education. The institute will watch for court cases that offer an opportunity to define First Amendment law in the digital age, with a goal of achieving significant victories, and priority given to cases with digital components. Through its research, fellowships, publications, lectures and other events, the institute will seek to help the legal community, including the nation’s network of legal clinics, understand the principles underlying the First Amendment and how they apply to new technology.

Knight Foundation and Columbia University will contribute $5 million each in operating funds and $25 million each in endowment funds to the institute, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It will be affiliated with Columbia, benefitting from the University’s top-tier law school, journalism school and other relevant academic fields. President Bollinger is a noted First Amendment scholar who has made freedom of expression and the future of journalism core priorities in Columbia’s academic and civic mission.