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Public Media Bridge Fund awards $26 million in stabilization grants for at-risk public media stations. More than 70 grantees - operating over 180 radio and television stations - nationwide will receive crucial funding in first wave of grants designed to sustain vital local news and cultural programming. Impact map of Public Media Bridge Fund's stabilization grants (Courtesy of Public Media Bridge Fund) With this initial round of funding, our goal was to present each grantee with a foothold to stabilize their infrastructure and continue their vital services. Thanks to the rapid and generous response of philanthropic leaders across the U.S., we've been able to raise crucial funds and quickly get them into the hands of the stations that need them the most." Tim Isgitt, CEO of Public Media Company Press Release | Public Media Company The Public Media Bridge Fund (Bridge Fund) has announced its initial round of stabilization grants exclusively for local public media, totaling $26 million across 74 organizations operating 186 radio and television stations and reaching 30 million people in communities nationwide that rely on public broadcasting, from Sitka, Alaska to Orangeburg, South Carolina, and everywhere in between. This first wave of emergency funding - focused on stations facing the greatest financial challenges - will help ensure the continuation of local news, civic information, cultural programming and emergency alerts. The Public Media Bridge Fund is a strategic philanthropic initiative by the nonpartisan nonprofit organization Public Media Company (PMC), which has, for more than 20 years, helped local public and independent media organizations expand their service and impact, strengthen their communities and secure their futures. PMC projects that, following the rescission of approximately $600 million in annual Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding earlier this year, more than 115 stations are likely to close by mid-2026 without immediate aid. These stations primarily serve rural and underserved areas and often operate as the only outlet for local news and storytelling for these communities. The organizations receiving Bridge Fund grants face an acute funding gap in the next six months that threatens their ability to continue operations. Most of these stations relied on CPB for more than 25% of their annual operating revenue, leaving them vulnerable following the funding cuts earlier this year. In 2026, the Bridge Fund will engage directly with these organizations to guide them in developing and adapting to new operating models that secure their future and enable them to remain a critical resource in their communities. "With this initial round of funding, our goal was to present each grantee with a foothold to stabilize their infrastructure and continue their vital services. Thanks to the rapid and generous response of philanthropic leaders across the U.S., we've been able to raise crucial funds and quickly get them into the hands of the stations that need them the most," said Tim Isgitt, CEO of Public Media Company. "These grants not only take another step forward in the collaborative effort to respond to a crisis but also create an opportunity to develop a sustainable future for public media that builds stronger, more engaged and more connected communities." Launched in August 2025 in direct response to the elimination of federal CPB funding, the Public Media Bridge Fund has raised more than $60 million towards its $100 million goal from a wide range of contributors, from individuals to major grants from foundations including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Mellon Foundation and The Dolby Family. The Bridge Fund held an open call for grant applications in fall 2025 and selected recipient stations through an evaluation based on rigorously developed criteria that ensured the service provided by each grantee to its region is unique, non-duplicative, and essential to local civic information. This initial wave of grants will be followed by additional funding opportunities for local public media organizations as the Bridge Fund secures additional philanthropic commitments. Future grantmaking will prioritize projects that advance sustainable business models and broaden services to communities. "Public television and radio have provided essential services to rural and underserved communities for decades, and generate trust, connectivity, and belonging for their audiences," said Erik Langner, executive director of the Public Media Bridge Fund. "The Bridge Fund works alongside stations to help them stabilize during this unprecedented crisis, and, ultimately, to help them create pathways to a more sustainable future." The Public Media Bridge Fund has awarded grants to the following stations: Public Media Company is a nonprofit strategic advisor and partner to public media organizations nationwide. Through financial services, strategic planning, partnerships and innovative initiatives, Public Media Company helps stations expand their impact, improve their sustainability and strengthen local service. Since its founding, Public Media Company has worked with more than 400 public media organizations to advance public service media and ensure that audiences everywhere have access to trusted, independent information. For more information, visit publicmedia.co. Scroll the Latest Job Opportunities From The Media Job Board

El Paso journalism initiatives net foundation investment. Several El Paso-based journalism and newsroom support initiatives are feeling extra thankful this year. The El Paso Community Foundation and other regional reporting initiatives were awarded nearly $3.5 million in funding from the MacArthur Foundation to help address the needs of newsrooms in the region. "They put a lot of money where we should be putting our ears, to listen to the news and consume real news," said Eric Pearson, CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. The MacArthur Foundation's investment in border journalism includes $750,000 for El Paso Matters, $450,000 for the Puente News Collaborative, $50,000 for the foundation to create a Press Forward chapter, and $2.2 million toward a donor-advised fund that will be set up by MacArthur. The El Paso grants are the largest bulk of the MacArthur Foundation's $6 million investment in eight organizations in states along the U.S.-Mexico border. "Small newsrooms in this region struggle with limited resources while confronting exceptional challenges, including safety concerns trauma, and difficulties accessing information from governments on both sides of the border," said Silvia Rivera, MacArthur's director of local news, in a news release. "This makes the role of local newsrooms even more critical, as they bear the overarching responsibility of combating misinformation and maintaining community cohesion." Others that received news-related MacArthur Foundation funding include Tucson-based site The Border Chronicle; Community Foundation for Southern Arizona; Spanish-language news training for the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism CUNY Foundation; San Antonio Area Foundation; and the Wayne State University law school to expand its Spanish-language misinformation tracking tool. Bob Moore, founder and CEO of nonprofit online newsroom El Paso Matters, said the $750,000 grant shows El Paso and the region's news needs are being discussed at the national level. "It's good news for El Paso," Moore said. "It's the heft of MacArthur making what they're calling their big bet on the border. People outside the border view us as important. It's easy to lose sight of that in our bubble sometimes." El Paso Matters was founded in 2019 by Moore and has since then netted grants and donations from large national companies and foundations, including the Meta Journalism Project, Google Initiative, Walton Family Foundation and American Journalism Project.

MacArthur Foundation awards $1.25 million grant to National Federation of Community Broadcasters. Staff | National Federation of Community Broadcasters The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is honored to announce that the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded NFCB a one-time general operating support grant of $1,250,000. This extraordinary investment comes at a defining moment for the community radio network and during NFCB's 50th anniversary year. The grant will allow NFCB to strengthen its organizational capacity, sustain its leadership and plan for long-term financial sustainability as the public media field adapts to a rapidly evolving post-CPB environment. "This remarkable gift from the MacArthur Foundation allows NFCB to meet this moment of change with confidence, creativity, and care," said Rima Dael, CEO of NFCB. "It is both an affirmation of the essential role community radio plays in civic life and an investment in the infrastructure that sustains it. Receiving this support during NFCB's 50th anniversary year is an incredible honor and gives us the ability to serve our members well, deepen our partnerships, and build the foundation for the next fifty years of community radio." "The MacArthur Foundation's support underscores the importance of investing in the organizations that hold our public media system together," said Kerry Semrad, president of NFCB's board of directors. "NFCB's mission is to ensure that local voices remain strong, especially in the communities where access to trusted news, culture, and information is most needed. This grant provides the foundation to sustain that work far into the future." As the national membership organization for community radio, NFCB represents nearly 200 local stations across the United States, most serving rural, Tribal and underrepresented communities. Through training, convening and advocacy, NFCB strengthens the capacity of local stations to build civic trust, deliver emergency information, and celebrate local arts and culture. Founded in 1975, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is a national membership organization supporting, advancing and celebrating community-based, nonprofit and Tribal radio stations across the United States. NFCB provides leadership, training, advocacy and resources to ensure that local stations remain vibrant, sustainable and essential to the civic and cultural life of their communities. Learn more at www.nfcb.org. The MacArthur Foundation boldly invests in creative solutions to urgent challenges, sparking hope for our future. The Foundation works on a few big bets that strive toward transformative change in areas of profound concern, including the existential threats of climate change, the challenges of criminal justice reform, revitalizing local news in the U.S., and corruption in Nigeria. In addition, it maintains enduring commitments in its hometown Chicago - investing in people, places and partnerships to build a more inclusive Chicago - and in journalism and media, where it supports more just and inclusive news and narratives. The Foundation also makes awards to extraordinarily creative individuals through the MacArthur Fellows Program and for solutions to critical problems of our time through 100&Change. Learn more at www.macfound.org.