GBH launches $225M fundraising campaign in the wake of federal funding cuts

GBH in Boston launched a three-year, $225 million investment campaign Wednesday as it looks to secure its financial future following the rescission of federal funding to public media.

The Fund the Future campaign “aims to ensure the continuity of independent, fact-based journalism and trusted educational content in the Boston area and beyond,” according to a news release. GBH’s announcement coincides with the day that federal funding through CPB has officially expired.

“Congress told us to ‘go fund ourselves,’ and that’s exactly what we are going to do,” said GBH CEO Susan Goldberg in the news release. “This is a time when facts are being questioned and communities crave connection. GBH is doubling down on our values, focused on protecting independent journalism and making trusted, educational, and inspirational content accessible to everyone. We have a long history of innovation, and we’re relying on that muscle memory, and on the support and passion of our communities, to reimagine public media.”

The campaign has three goals: creating a unified documentary film unit that will support GBH’s nationally distributed programs Frontline, Nova and American Experience; making sure GBH educational programs and signature kids’ series like Arthur, Molly of Denali and Work it Out Wombats! reach their intended audiences; and creating a more sustainable business model “through digital innovation, distribution, and streaming opportunities,” according to the release.

In an email sent by a spokesperson, Goldberg told Current that GBH hopes to raise approximately $70 million in the first year of the initiative. She also said they plan to raise money from major donors, foundations, and small and mid-level donors.

“It’s a mix, but individual giving is a big part of it,” she said. “Our goal is for individuals to account for 69% of the money we raise. We’re not just focusing on major gifts, though. Every dollar counts. A substantial portion of individual giving is planned to come from donations under $900.”

Fund the Future will lead with the slogan “Congress told us to Go Fund Ourselves” and will also incorporate the phrase “Love it? Fund it.”

“We’re focusing on future-proofing GBH by evolving how we bring in money and how we get our great content out there,” Goldberg said. “Essentially, we’re shifting away from being so dependent on our traditional funding sources — including federal money — by growing our digital revenue streams. Think subscribers, digital ads, and sponsorships, as well as ways to reach larger audiences such as partnerships with commercial streamers like the one we have with Amazon, and monetizing our archives.”

In late 2024, PBS struck a deal with Amazon to provide local feeds of stations and the 24/7 PBS Kids channel on Prime Video.

“This entire digital transformation needs a jumpstart, which is why we’re counting on a major increase in philanthropic support over the next three years to help us make the leap,” Goldberg said. “We’re calling this the ‘Fund the Future’ campaign, but at its core it’s about transformation — not just maintaining the status quo but making sure GBH thrives in the modern media landscape.”

To mark CPB largely winding down its operations starting Sept. 30, GBH will pause its programming for 10 seconds across its broadcast and streaming channels at 11:59 a.m. Wednesday. This includes GBH’s television and radio operations in Boston, the dual licensee New England Public Media, the World channel, the Create channel and GBH’s radio stations CAI, which serve Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

To deepen its community impact, Goldberg said, GBH will bring back GBH Amplifies, a weekly conversation series with viewers and listeners at the Boston Public Library. Other community engagement initiatives include “meet the reporter” sessions at local libraries and Connecting the Commonwealth, a reporting partnership among GBH, NEPM and CAI.

Among its educational initiatives, GBH is working on new seasons of High School Quiz Show, Work it Out Wombats! and Molly of Denali. It will continue to invest in PBS LearningMedia and the America’s Awesome Kids initiative, which is focused on 8- to 10-year-olds.

The largest station in public media, GBH has not been immune to the layoffs affecting the system. In July, the station laid off 13 employees who worked on the history series American Experience. GBH also laid off 54 employees earlier this year and cut another 31 staffers last year to address a $7 million budget deficit.

GBH received a Community Service Grant of about $8.6 million from CPB in fiscal year 2024, according to CPB’s website, and received another $10.6 million for television programming, accounting for about 8% of the station’s total revenue.