NPR Trying To Attain ‘Sustainability’ After Funds Are Cut.

While NPR and its affiliate stations have seen a recent surge in corporate and listener donations in the wake of Congress' vote to pull back federal funding – including fundraising milestones at stations such as news/talk WUNC (91.5) Raleigh-Durham, NC, and adult alternative WMNF (88.5) Tampa – CEO Katherine Maher warns that it will take more to keep the network and many stations afloat in the long run.

“We have a long way to go in terms of achieving sustainability,” Maher tells Semafor. “It’s really important that the funds be understood as something that is a one-time response. It’s up to all of us to continue to build those relationships with people who have demonstrated newly that they’re committed to public media.”

Among NPR's efforts following the vote to cut $9 billion in previously allocated funds is offering $8 million in immediate fee relief for stations strongly impacted by the clawback, and putting together a bridge fund focused on getting shared resources and services to help stations cut costs.

“The reality is that, just like the impacts are pretty disparate, the stations that are best positioned to receive that kind of fund and engage in that kind of fundraising are not the ones that are most at risk,” Maher says, noting those most in danger are “often serving communities that just don’t have that kind of disposable income to be able to support their stations overall.”

The network understands that contributions from major donors – such as the Hewlett Foundation, which gave NPR a two-year, $1.2 million grant in 2024 – will go a long way to make up for the federal cuts. Maher notes NPR's ongoing effort to solicit funds from locally based media organizations that “recognize that public media funding is a critical piece of how their portfolio interests continue to get covered.”

Although Congress' vote to rescind funding has dealt a serious blow to public radio, neither NPR nor CPB feels that funding is gone for good, with both groups continuing lobbying efforts. “I feel as though we, public media, put up an extraordinary demonstration of its value,” Maher says, noting that NPR is already talking to lawmakers about the 2026 budget and the places where NPR and its member stations continue to be vital. “These votes were tough, and they had to be broken by the Vice President in terms of ties at times. And I think that this was a moment and opportunity for lawmakers to hear about how important this is.”