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NPR has received $113 million in charitable donations from two sources, including $80 million from a Democratic megadonor, the organization announced Thursday.
“NPR’s mission is unwavering, but our means must evolve,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. “This remarkable investment will enable NPR to continue to deliver the nation’s finest public service journalism, meeting audiences where they are today and will be in the years to come.”
Obama Foundation board member and major Democratic donor Connie Ballmer contributed $80 million of the total, directing the funds toward expanding NPR’s digital capabilities and improving how it reaches audiences across platforms.
President Donald Trump. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg)
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“I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism,” Ballmer said, according to NPR. “My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network.”
Federal filings show hundreds of donations from Ballmer to Democratic politicians, PACs and organizations, including a $7 million donation in 2020 to Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund and $500,000 to Unite the Country, a super PAC supporting Joe Biden in 2020.
Ballmer is married to billionaire and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, one of the richest people in the world.
An anonymous donor provided NPR the remaining $33 million, which it said will go toward developing and sharing tools and services with public media organizations.
Liberals reacted strongly to Congress’ vote to strip funding from NPR and PBS last year. (Saul Loeb/AFP)
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The donations came after Congress voted to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for public media, in a move cheered by President Donald Trump. The cuts reduced budgets across the system, with public radio stations losing about 10% of their funding and public television stations closer to 15%, NPR reported.
NPR, which lost about 1 to 2% of its annual budget with the move, has taken steps to support its affiliates. The organization said it had moved “to shore up station finances by easing the fees it charges them to carry its major news programs.”
NPR announced $113 million in donations from a pair of donors on Thursday. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
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In response to financial strain, NPR said it has also offered assistance in fundraising, marketing, and “other endeavors.”
A separate effort known as Public Media Infrastructure has emerged, described as a “a separate, and in some ways competing, venture” involving organizations, including New York Public Radio and American Public Media Group, aimed at providing shared services across the industry.
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Digital reached out to the Ballmer Group for comment but did not immediately hear back.
