The Ford Foundation was noncommercial television’s first big funder, years before Congress contributed large sums — supporting efforts to acquire reserved channels, helping to start stations in major cities, and backing National Educational Television, the system’s major production and distribution organization in its early years.
| Grants and expenditures for television and radio projects |
|||
| Fiscal year | TV and radio | Television * | Radio ** |
| Total | $290,291,333 | $289,008,706 | $1,282,627 |
| 1951 |
1,439,091
|
946,291
|
492,800
|
| 1952 |
2,646,106
|
2,646,106
|
0
|
| 1953 |
4,490,021
|
4,339,116
|
150,905
|
| 1954 |
4,776,068
|
4,776,068
|
0
|
| 1955 |
3,139,195
|
3,139,195
|
0
|
| 1956 |
9,979,675
|
9,979,675
|
0
|
| 1957 |
4,749,720
|
4,674,970
|
74,750
|
| 1958 |
3,965,932
|
3,765,932
|
200,000
|
| 1959 |
11,126,112
|
11,113,512
|
12,600
|
| 1960 |
7,708,701
|
7,707,201
|
1,500
|
| 1961 |
8,140,359
|
8,125,359
|
15,000
|
| 1962 |
19,580,006
|
19,580,006
|
0
|
| 1963 |
7,423,652
|
7,423,652
|
0
|
| 1964 |
7,560,522
|
7,560,522
|
0
|
| 1965 |
7,171,903
|
7,171,903
|
0
|
| 1966 |
16,288,700
|
16,288,700
|
0
|
| 1967 |
23,000,544
|
22,962,544
|
38,000
|
| 1968 |
10,998,411
|
10,961,911
|
36,500
|
| 1969 |
25,301,843
|
25,116,271
|
185,572
|
| 1970 |
17,098,172
|
17,023,172
|
75,000
|
| 1971 |
18,155,198
|
18,155,198
|
0
|
| 1972 |
19,103,000
|
19,103,000
|
0
|
| 1973 |
10,683,699
|
10,683,699
|
0
|
| 1974 |
28,974,773
|
28,974,773
|
0
|
| 1975 |
3,680,000
|
3,680,000
|
0
|
| 1976 (as of 6/10/79) |
13,109,930
|
13,109,930
|
0
|
* Includes those grants awarded to television-radio projects. Some of these grants were awarded to commercial television, particularly in the early 1950s, and television projects in other countries.
** Includes only those grants in which radio was the principal activity, but does not include those grants designated for television-radio.
Source: “Ford Foundation Activities in Noncommercial Broadcasting, 1951-1976,” a booklet published by the foundation.