CPB: Defunding Ends Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.

The loss of federal money that had previously gone to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is preventing the distribution of key public safety grants, in the process putting at risk local stations to fulfill their respective missions, particularly those that serve rural and disaster-prone communities.

That’s according to a news release from the CPB, which in July saw its funding eliminated by Congress, a casualty of the Rescissions Act of 2025. That legislation has left CPB without operating funds starting Oct. 1. The CPB says this means it “no longer can absorb costs and manage the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) grant program.”

CPB says Congress acknowledged public media stations’ roles in public safety when the NGWS grant program was created in 2022. It provided $136 million over three years and, in a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), allowed CPB to implement and administer the program.

“Under CPB’s administration, NGWS was built from the ground up, prioritizing rural and disaster-prone areas,” the CPB release says. “CPB brought the specialized knowledge of local public media stations combined with decades of federal grant management and compliance experience needed to administer such a complex federal program. In one year, CPB hired a dedicated NGWS team, issued requests for applications, and provided technical assistance to stations nationwide.”

In 2022, CPB reported awarding 44 grants totaling $21.6 million from its initial funding round. The demand significantly outpaced available resources — during the second application round, 175 stations submitted requests for more than $110 million.

“CPB has been fully invested in the NGWS program and its mission to protect the American public,” Patricia Harrison, CPB President and CEO, says in the release. “This is one more example of rescission consequences impacting local public media stations and the communities they serve — in this case, weakening the capacity of local public media stations to support the safety and preparedness of their communities.”