CPB FAQ

Question or comment about the scheduling of a program?

Contact your local station because all scheduling decisions are made locally.

Questions about CPB

What is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)?
What is the difference between CPB, PBS, and NPR?
How is CPB funded?
How can I make a donation to CPB?
Why does public broadcasting need federal funding?
Does CPB take programming suggestions?
How is CPB governed?

Questions about Public Media

Who pays for public media?
Who creates the programs on public media?
Who operates the stations?
How many public media stations are there?
When does a program air?
How can I get a program on the air?
How can I support public media?

Questions about Grants

What kind of programming does CPB fund?
How can I request grants or funding for programming?
Does CPB fund projects outside of the United States?
Can I request grants or funding for a radio station?
Can I request grants or funding for a television station?

Questions about CPB

What is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)?

CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. It is the steward of the federal government's investment in public media. It provides funding support to more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations that ensure universal access to free, high-quality, innovative, and diverse content that educates, informs, and strengthens our nation’s civil society. 

In addition, CPB funds researched-based educational resources for our nation's youngest learners, local news and information for communities throughout the country, and essential infrastructure for our nation's emergency alert system. 

Learn more here.

What is the difference between CPB, PBS, and NPR?

CPB is the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. Its funding provides the “public” part of the public-private partnership. By design, it’s not the only source: Public media’s strength is that its funding comes from many sources including individuals, businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, and local and state government. CPB does not produce or distribute programs, nor does it own, control, oversee, or operate any broadcast stations.

PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned by its member public television stations. PBS distributes programming to approximately 350 locally controlled and operated public television stations across the country. It is funded principally by these member stations, distribution revenue, and underwriting support. CPB provides direct grant support to PBS for national content and for the infrastructure that distributes content and emergency alerts from PBS to public television stations.  

NPR is an independent, nonprofit membership organization of separately licensed and operated public radio stations across the United States. NPR produces and distributes news, information, and cultural programming across broadcast and digital platforms. It has more than 1,000 member and affiliate stations. NPR is principally funded by member stations, distribution services, underwriting and institutional grants, and individual contributions. CPB provides direct grant support to NPR for its international reporting bureaus and for the infrastructure that distributes content from NPR and other national public radio producers to every public radio station.

How is CPB funded?

CPB is a private nonprofit corporation that is fully funded by the federal government. Ninety-five percent of CPB's appropriation goes directly to local public media stations, content development, community services, and other local station and system needs. Less than 5% is allocated to administrative costs – an exceptionally low overhead rate compared with other nonprofits. 

CPB's appropriation originates with the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in Congress. CPB receives a two-year advance appropriation, which means that Congress decides the amount of federal support for public broadcasting two years prior of the fiscal year in which the funding is received. In other words, Congress approved the FY 2024 funding level for CPB during the FY 2022 appropriations process. This is done to insulate content from political pressure, to allow for advance planning, and to help stations leverage funds from other sources.

For more information on CPB’s appropriation please see: Federal Appropriation.

 

How can I make a donation to CPB?

CPB does receive donations from time to time, but U.S. public media is locally based, so donors are encouraged to support their local stations. You can find local station information here: cpb-station-finder.

Why does public broadcasting need federal funding?

Federal funding is essential to the funding mix that supports public broadcasting. Public media is a public-private partnership in the best tradition of America's free enterprise system.

Federal funds, distributed through CPB to local stations, provide critical seed money and basic operating support. Stations leverage each $1 of federal funding to raise over $6 from other sources — including state and local governments, philanthropic foundations, private businesses, and universities — a tremendous return on the taxpayer investment.

CPB, in addition to direct payment to public media stations, pays for the system's technical infrastructure, copyright and other fees, and makes major investments in national content from which all stations and the families they serve benefit.

Most importantly, the annual federal investment in public media assures universal access to public media's educational programming and public services for all Americans, as mandated by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

Does CPB take programming suggestions?

By law, CPB is prohibited from producing or broadcasting programming. Please contact PBS or NPR or your local station with your program suggestions.

How is CPB governed?

A Board of Directors governs CPB, sets policy, and establishes funding priorities. CPB is the only public media organization whose board members are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A full board term runs for six years, with the President nominating members for vacancies. The Board appoints the president and the chief executive officer of CPB, who then names the other corporate officers.

Questions about Public Media

Who pays for public media?

Generally, individual contributions, primarily through membership donations, make up the largest share of public media stations’ revenue. CPB, through taxpayer support, is the largest individual source of funding for public media stations, as more than 70% of the federal appropriation goes directly to local public media stations. Other sources of funding include state and local governments and educational institutions, philanthropic foundations and other non-profit organizations, private businesses, and private colleges and universities.

Who creates the programs?

Public media programming comes from a variety of producers including American Public Media, PRX, the National Multicultural Alliance, Fred Rogers Company, NPR, local stations such as GBH, WNET, WBEZ, and WNYC, as well as independent producers. CPB funds but does not produce or broadcast programs. 

Who operates the stations?

Public media stations are operated by a variety of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license holders, including non-profit community organizations, public and private colleges and universities, local school districts and state governments. Each station has a local board of directors who hires the station general manager. By law, CPB cannot own, operate, or control any broadcast station.

How many public media stations are there?

There are more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public media stations in the United States and its territories. You can find your station here.

When does a program air?

Contact your local station or view their program schedule on their website to find out when a program is scheduled to air. You can find your station here. Many programs are also available to view or listen to online at your convenience.

How can I get a program on the air?

Producers must pitch their programs to a public media distributor – including PBS, NPR, American Public Television, the National Educational Telecommunications Association, PRX and others -- who may market the program to broadcast stations throughout the country.

How can I support public media?

CPB appreciates your interest in learning how to support public media and encourages you to consider contributing to your local public television and radio stations. You can find your local station information here.

For information about other ways to support public media, you may contact PBS through PBS.org, NPR at NPR.org, or your local station.

Questions about Grants

What kind of programming does CPB fund?

CPB provides limited funding for broadcast and digital content for public media.This includes television, radio, online, and streaming content. Funded projects must align with public media's mission—to provide universal access to high-quality educational programming in the United States, especially to underserved audiences.

CPB grant funds may not be used for advocacy, direct political influence, commercial media, programs produced primarily by non-domestic entities, and projects intended primarily for non-domestic distribution. Currently, CPB is not funding requests for new programs about cooking, how-to, travel, or fitness/exercise. Within production budgets, CPB funds may only be used for expenses directly related to pre-production, production, or post-production, and other direct ancillary activities (such as promotion, educational materials, community engagement, and station engagement). Likewise, fees not otherwise allocated to specific costs may be considered unallowable for CPB funds (such as contingencies).  

What are CPB’s funding priorities?

By statute, most of CPB funding goes directly to public media stations. For discretionary funding, CPB uses a framework referred to as the "three Ds" — Digital, Diversity, and Dialogue. CPB grants support innovation on digital platforms; content that is for, by and about diverse communities; and content and services that foster engagement and strengthens our nation’s civil society. CPB's strategic priorities call for programming that advances journalism, education, innovation, diversity, and reaches the unserved and underserved.

Who can apply for CPB grants?

CPB considers projects from content producers with experience creating nationally recognized work. Production grants are provided directly to public media stations and non-profit organizations. Collaborative ventures between independent producers and public media entities are highly encouraged. 

How do I know if my project is ready for CPB funding?

CPB supported content must be completed and distributed nationally through U.S. public media outlets. Therefore, projects are only considered if they have secured distribution. A considerable portion of the project's budget should also be raised prior to approaching CPB.

How can I request grants or funding for programming?

Producers looking to secure CPB funding for a project are encouraged to read the Terms and Conditions before applying. When ready to seek CPB funding, email grants@cpb.org with a brief description of the project, including the project status, producers, distribution plan, total budget amount, and desired funding level.

Are there other funding opportunities available?

CPB also funds the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the National Multicultural Alliance and other public media organizations that support independent producers. Check our list of other potential funding sources for more.

If you are a producer looking to secure CPB funding for a project, read about our Content and Production Grants and email grants@cpb.org for more information. You may also find issue-specific grants on the Grants & RFPs page. For updates on grants, follow @CPBmedia on Twitter or sign up for email updates.

CPB also funds the Independent Television Service (ITVS), AIR (the Association of Independents in Radio), the National Multicultural Alliance and other public media organizations that support independent producers. Check our list of other potential funding sources for more.

If you are a producer looking to secure CPB funding for a project, read about our Content and Production Grants and email grants@cpb.org for more information. You may also find issue-specific grants on the Grants & RFPs page.

For updates on grants, follow @CPBmedia on Twitter or sign up for email updates.

Does CPB fund projects outside of the United States?

Public media's mission is to provide universal access to high-quality educational programming in the U.S. CPB does not fund non-U.S. productions, unless co-produced by a U.S. entity.

Can I request grants or funding for a radio station or television station?

Only stations that are Community Service Grant recipients can obtain funding for radio and TV productions and system support projects.

The Radio Community Service Grant (CSG) program may accept a limited number of new radio stations each year during a defined application period. To qualify, a radio station must meet a set of eligibility criteria in addition to operating under a noncommercial educational license granted by the U.S. government.

For more, see the Radio CSG General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria and email csg@cpb.org.

CPB provides annual funding to public television stations through the Community Service Grant program, but is not accepting applications for new stations at this time, except by waiver.

For more information, go to the Television CSG General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria.