Fiscal Year 2017
CSG Expenditure period: 10/1/2016 - 9/30/2018
The following is information regarding grant calculations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Television Community
Service Grants (CSG), Television Universal Service Support Grant, and Television Distance Service Grants.
FY 2017 Appropriation
The FY 2017 CSG pool is based on a general CPB appropriation for FY 2017 of $445,000,000.
70 Percent in the First Payment
In accordance with the CPB Board’s resolution of September 2012 and reaffirmed at the April 2016 Board meeting, CPB will once again provide each grantee with 70 percent of its annual CSG in its first payment.
Important Note: As stated on each grantee’s FY 2017 CSG Agreement and Certification of Eligibility form, the grant offer is contingent upon CPB's receipt of its authorized appropriation for FY 2017 and is subject to decreases.
Community Service Grant
Base Grant: For FY 2017, the base is $489,500 (calculated as 0.11 percent of the appropriation of
$445,000,000). The base grant applies to all grantees except those in designated Multi-Provider Markets. Grantees in designated Multi-Provider Markets will divide equally one single base grant.
Incentive Rate of Return
The final Incentive Rate of Return (IRR) applicable to TV grantees is 0.1195376348. Fluctuation in IRR from year to year is a function of total TV system non-Federal financial support (NFFS) and the CPB appropriation. Please note there is a two-year lag between station financial data used for CSGs and the CPB fiscal year.
Program Differentiation Incentive (PDI)*
CPB provided an incentive to those Secondary Grantees in designated Multi-Provider Markets. In order to be eligible for a PDI, stations must not broadcast duplicate programming on their primary channels on the same day, with the exception of:
- children’s programming;
- news programming;
- one-time programming of local or national importance (e.g., emergency information or presidential speeches); and
- stations must annually certify the same to CPB.
(A Primary Grantee received the largest NFFS in a Multi-Provider Market during FY 2015; a Secondary Grantee’s NFFS was less than the Primary Grantee. Secondary Grantees that qualify as a Minority Audience Service Station receive a full base grant.)
Qualifying grantees' NFFS will be weighted as follows:
- Up to its first $2 million, the NFFS would be multiplied by a factor of 1.75.
- Between $2 million and $4 million, the NFFS would be multiplied by a factor of 1.25.
*The PDI is being phased out beginning FY 2018 through FY 2020.
CSG Formula
The formula used to calculate a grantee's CSG (except in the situations cited above) is: Grantee's FY 2015
Weighted NFFS X0.1195376348 + Base Grant
Supplemental CSG Programs
The FY 2017 TV General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria (General Provisions) contain the requirements necessary for a CSG recipient to maintain CSG eligibility. The General Provisions also specify allowable use of and restrictions on a grantee’s CSG. CPB has revised the General Provisions for FY 2017, which began on October 1, 2016.
The General Provisions also contain information relating to the supplemental CSG programs (Television Healthy Station Network Initiative Program, Television Universal Service Support Grant, and Television Distance Service Grant Program). In addition to the General Provisions you can also find other critical compliance documents in the For Stations and Producers section of the CPB website.
Contact CPB
All questions about this information should be directed to the Office of Grants Administration at csg@cpb.org. Remember to always identify your station call letters and/or grantee ID number so that we can respond quickly to your inquiry.