New: 'Philanthropic Organizations' Inadvertently Prove the Point About Defunding Public Radio and TV

As we've often discussed, a favorite tactic of the left and their media allies is to "doomcast" whenever their pet projects are on the chopping block in terms of federal funding.

We saw it, of course, in the run-up to Congress's vote to defund PBS and NPR in July. Sen Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), for instance, trotted out the "matter of life and death" card, stating during a dramatic Senate floor speech amid the debate that "These cuts to local stations couldn't happen at a worse time, with floods and natural disasters front of mind."

"And sometimes, all too often, public broadcasting is the only way for people to hear what's going on," he also went on to proclaim without evidence. "It's a matter of life and death. So why is Donald Trump so hellbent on taking away funding from local stations that can literally save lives?"

Except not long after the defunding deed was done, we learned that private donor funding for NPR and PBS had "exploded," with the New York Times revealing in late July that "public radio listeners and public television viewers have been stepping in to help fill the gap, delivering a surge of donations."

Further, the Times noted that "There are encouraging signs that the new donors aren’t just making one-time contributions. A greater share of them — up 51 percent from last year — are becoming sustaining members, who contribute on a recurring basis."

scoop: donations to NPR and PBS stations have exploded, with donors across the country giving in unprecedented numbers since Congress cut federal funding https://t.co/FbfzTTfBqF
— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) July 24, 2025

Fast forward to a month later, and the evidence is piling up that conservatives were right all along: These public TV and radio stations did not and do not need public funding in order to survive:

Major philanthropic organizations including Knight, MacArthur, and Ford announced they're committing nearly $37 million in emergency funding to keep public media stations afloat after Donald Trump's rescissions package stripped away federal funding.
https://t.co/lIbmKvOUa1
— Scott Nover (@ScottNover) August 19, 2025

Relatedly, the Times reported that the money coming from these organizations was not directly aimed at NPR and PBS, but instead at what are being called "at-risk" stations in rural areas:

The money is not aimed at PBS and NPR, better-funded national organizations that will survive without government support. Instead, the Knight Foundation and others are focused on the scores of public radio and TV stations that have historically received more than 30 percent of their support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a taxpayer-backed company that announced it would shut down because of the funding cuts. Many of those stations are in rural areas, like remote regions of Alaska and Kansas, where residents don’t have access to alternate sources of news and information.

There is also an effort underway to make these stations and the whole system sustainable long-term with private funding:

A consultancy, Public Media Company, said it launched a “bridge fund” Monday to aid the most at-risk public radio and TV stations across the country, “stabilize the system” in the aftermath of the federal funding loss and help public media become more sustainable in the long run. The company will offer “grants, low-interest loans, and advisory services,” it wrote in a news release. Knight said about $27 million from collective foundation support is going to the bridge fund, while another $10 million from MacArthur will go to directly support organizations, stations and programs in the public media ecosystem.

Thanks for proving our points, guys.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Please support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!