Grants for Community Radio Stations 2026: Who Funds Them

What Changed: Congress Rescinded CPB's 2026 and 2027 Funding

Many public and community radio stations counted on Community Service Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. That changed in 2025. According to the text of Public Law 119-28 (opens in a new tab), the Rescissions Act of 2025, approved July 24, 2025, rescinded the amounts made available for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal year 2026 by Public Law 118-47 and for fiscal year 2027 by Public Law 119-4.

CPB announced later in 2025 that it would wind down its operations, according to news coverage at the time. For a station, the practical result is simple: plan as if there will be no CPB grant in your 2026 or 2027 budget unless Congress acts again.

The End of Federal Equipment Grants Came Earlier

Federal equipment grants ended 15 years before the CPB rescission. Stations looking for a federal transmitter grant should know that program ended long ago. According to NTIA's PTFP page (opens in a new tab), the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program helped public broadcasting stations, state and local governments, tribes and nonprofits build facilities. On April 15, 2011, Public Law 112-10 provided no PTFP funding for fiscal year 2011, NTIA said it wouldn't award any more PTFP grants, and it began an orderly shutdown of the program.

That leaves foundations, capital campaigns and major donors as the realistic sources for transmitters, antennas, studio rebuilds and emergency power.

FCC Rules That Shape a Station's Fundraising

Four sections of 47 CFR Part 73 matter most for fundraising. Who holds your license affects who can fund you. According to FCC rules at 47 CFR 73.853 (opens in a new tab), a low power FM station may be licensed only to nonprofit educational organizations that will use it to advance an educational program, to state and local governments and non-government entities providing noncommercial public safety radio, and to certain tribal applicants. Full-power noncommercial educational FM stations, under 47 CFR 73.503 (opens in a new tab), must also be licensed to a nonprofit educational organization.

LPFM stations are small by design. Under 47 CFR 73.811 (opens in a new tab), they're authorized at a maximum of 100 watts ERP at 30 meters height above average terrain. Under 47 CFR 73.855 (opens in a new tab), a party generally can't hold an attributable interest in two or more LPFM stations, with a limited exception for tribal applicants.

For fundraising, those rules mean two things. First, every LPFM licensee is a nonprofit or public entity, which helps with foundations. Second, an LPFM's reach is neighborhood-sized, so its strongest funders are hyper-local: a community foundation, a local family trust, neighborhood businesses.

Which Foundations Fund Community Radio: What 990-PF Filings Show

Grantsights counted 36,965 arts and culture grants to New York recipients and 23,737 to California recipients in 990-PF filings. According to IRS rules, private foundations list every grant on IRS Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab) with the recipient and purpose, so radio funders are visible.

Grantsights matched radio to its arts and culture list, which also includes museums, theaters, music and dance. The counts below cover that full pool, from records pulled October 29, 2026:

Radio grants named in the filings

These tax year 2025 grants show what foundations pay stations to do:

• The Raymond Foundation gave the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County in Indiana $550,000 for Bloomington Community Radio (WFHB) and endowments.
• The Veterane Family Foundation gave Pacific Public Media in Tacoma, Washington $140,000 for capital equipment.
• The Carolyn Smith Foundation gave Nashville Public Media $83,000 to support a civic news organization.
• The Margaret and Martha Thomas Foundation gave Nebraska Public Media $75,000 to support programs.
• The H and H Lee Charitable Foundation (opens in a new tab) gave KLCC Public Radio Foundation in Eugene, Oregon $50,000 to support the radio station.
• The Bendon Family Foundation gave Hawaii Public Radio $50,000 for reporting for Maui and its general fund.
• The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation gave Koahnic Broadcast Corp in Anchorage $20,000 for cultural institutions and projects.
• The Northern Lights Family Foundation gave the radio organization behind KSDP in Sand Point, Alaska $10,000 for education and arts.

One organization in Indiana shows a route worth copying: the WFHB money went through the local community foundation, and its purpose line names both the station and endowments. A station that sets up an endowment or designated fund at its community foundation gives donors and family foundations an easy, trusted place to give.

The KSDP grant in Sand Point, Alaska shows the other end of the scale: a $10,000 gift whose purpose, "education and arts," matched what the funder already supports.

Get the arts funder list for your state

Stations can start with the Grantsights arts and culture funder list, which shows foundations that reported arts grants on their own 990-PF filings, organized by state, with those that accept requests at the top. Recent recipients and purposes show which funders already gave to a radio station, public media group or local music series near you. The state preview is free to read. One $29 payment unlocks the full arts list in every state, the $99 plan covers all cause lists for a year, and Grantsights refunds either in full within 30 days.

NEA Grants for Station Arts Programming

NEA requests run $10,000 to $100,000. The National Endowment for the Arts doesn't fund station operations, but it does fund arts projects. According to NEA's Grants for Arts Projects page (opens in a new tab), the program covers disciplines including visual and media arts, music and local arts agencies. Challenge America applicants may request only $10,000; other applicants may request $10,000 to $100,000.

For a community station, a fundable NEA project is a defined arts series: a season of live local music sessions, a series documenting a region's traditional music, or arts programming for an underserved community. The honest test: if the project would make sense as an arts program without the radio station, it's probably an NEA fit. If it's really general operations, it isn't. See the NEA grants guide for how the NEA scores applications.

What the Rescission Doesn't Tell You About Replacing CPB Money

The law runs 2 fiscal years deep, and these 4 points come from the filings rather than the statute.

1. Don't ask a foundation to backfill a federal line item. Ask for something specific: a local news reporter, a transmitter, a youth radio program, a year of local music shows.
2. News and civic information attract funders beyond the arts. The Nashville Public Media grant was for a civic news organization. Community and civic funders may support local reporting even if they never fund "radio."
3. Endowments protect against the next cut. A designated fund at a community foundation gives estate gifts and family foundations a permanent home.
4. Your license structure is a selling point. Every LPFM licensee is a nonprofit educational organization or public entity under FCC rules. Say so up front.

Common Mistakes in Community Radio Grant Requests

Check each station request against these 5 mistakes.

• Asking for "CPB replacement" in general terms. This is a common mistake. A funder can't picture "lost federal funding." It can picture a reporter covering the county commission.
• No audience or community numbers. Even small stations can report members, volunteers, local hours aired and community groups featured. A request without numbers is a red flag.
• Underestimating equipment life. Transmitters, antennas and generators fail. Put replacement dates and costs in a capital plan before they break.
• Pitching arts funders on news, or news funders on music. Match the program to the funder's past purposes in the 990-PF.
• Skipping SAM for NEA. Any federal application needs an active SAM registration. See how to register on SAM.gov.

A Station Funding Plan for 2026 and 2027

For short asks, use Grantsights' how to write a grant letter of inquiry, and to screen funders see how to read a 990-PF. Open federal programs are listed in the Grantsights grant database.

Related Guides for Arts and Community Media

Community radio stations share funders with music, arts and community groups. See grants for music programs, grants for arts organizations, grants for community theaters and the community foundation grants guide.

Other Grantsights guides for specific kinds of organizations include grants for rural hospitals and grants for botanical gardens.

FAQ: Common Questions

Can community radio stations still get CPB Community Service Grants? Not from new federal money. Public Law 119-28 rescinded CPB's fiscal year 2026 and 2027 funds.

Is there a federal equipment grant for radio stations? Not anymore. NTIA's PTFP got no funding in fiscal year 2011 and was shut down.

Who can hold a low power FM license? Nonprofit educational organizations, certain public safety entities and tribal applicants, at up to 100 watts ERP.

What do foundations give community and public radio stations? Equipment, reporting and general support, such as $140,000 for capital equipment at Pacific Public Media.

Can a radio station apply for NEA grants? Possibly, for defined arts projects; requests run $10,000 to $100,000.

Sources

• GovInfo: Public Law 119-28, Rescissions Act of 2025 (opens in a new tab)
• NTIA: Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 73.853, LPFM licensing requirements (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 73.811, LPFM power and antenna height (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 73.855, LPFM ownership limits (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 73.503, Noncommercial educational FM licensing (opens in a new tab)
• NEA: Grants for Arts Projects (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)