On Thursday, Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media. Losing federal funding is a devastating blow to the trusted journalism, educational programs and enriching storytelling you rely on from Cascade PBS.
Today, I want to start by saying thank you – for your help advocating for us, for believing in what we do and for trying to help keep this essential service alive for future generations. Thousands of advocates, donors and viewers spoke up.
While most of our funding comes from community contributions, including individual donations, foundation grants and local underwriting, approximately 10% of our annual operating budget comes from a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) – about $3.6 million. This funding is gone, effective immediately.
With that support eliminated, we face critical challenges. In the coming weeks, I will share more information about what this means for our station and how you can help ensure public media remains strong in the Pacific Northwest.
To be clear, Cascade PBS is not going away. But our path forward will require more from the people who believe in us – people like you. Our ability to continue providing free, independent and locally rooted programming will depend more than ever on community support.
I am inspired by the incredible community we serve and hope I can count on you as we make our way through these challenging times. Cascade PBS belongs to you, and I’m grateful for your support.
