Our Mission Pbs Foundation

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 7:47 AM

The mission of the PBS Foundation is to be a leader for philanthropic support of public broadcasting, and to ensure that PBS continues to be an excellent provider of outstanding programs and services. Acting collaboratively and cooperatively with PBS member stations, the Foundation works to secure the extraordinary funding necessary to maintain and enhance PBS’s commitment to serving the American public. “We are in the business of 24/7 communication, and it makes us a perfect partner in the community in emergency situations.” At PBS, children have always been – and always will be – core to our mission. Since Mister Rogers first welcomed kids to the neighborhood over 50 years ago, we have revolutionized children’s media with accessible, educational content that celebrates and strengthens all communities and touches hearts. PBS is committed to creating a more informed, unified public.

Marking the 250th anniversary of our nation, PBS is launching a multi-year initiative designed to elevate civil discourse, empower local journalism, and serve America during this pivotal moment in our nation’s story. As stewards of the Earth, we all have a duty to understand, conserve, and preserve our planet for generations to come. PBS programs aim to reveal the wonders of the natural world and provide insight into our planet’s fascinating complexities. We know the arts can enrich our lives and inspire us while also creating vibrant, healthy communities. That’s why we’re dedicated to invigorating the arts in America by elevating excellence, uniting audiences of all backgrounds, and providing access to life-changing creative experiences. Our reach is wide and deep.

Over the course of a year, 58% of all U.S. television households—over 130 million people—watch PBS. And thanks to our loyal viewership, we’ve ranked as America’s No. 1 most trusted media institution for 20 years running. PBS is a membership organization that, in partnership with its member stations, serves the American public with programming and services of the highest quality, using media to educate, inspire, entertain and express a diversity... PBS empowers individuals to achieve their potential and strengthen the social, democratic, and cultural health of the U.S.

PBS offers programming that expands the minds of children, documentaries that open up new worlds, non-commercialized news programs that keep citizens informed on world events and cultures and programs that expose America to the... It is a multi-platform media organization that serves Americans through television, mobile and connected devices, the web, in the classroom, and more. PBS is a private, nonprofit corporation, founded in 1969, whose members are America’s public TV stations -- noncommercial, educational licensees that operate more than 330 PBS member stations and serve all 50 states, Puerto... Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. As America’s largest classroom, PBS is available to all of America’s children – including those who can’t attend preschool – and offers educational media that help prepare children for success in school. PBS is committed to bringing the power of media into the classroom - helping educators to engage students in new and different ways.

At a time when funding for music and arts within our schools is being cut, PBS is helping to keep the arts alive today and for generations to come by ensuring the worlds of... The mission of the foundation is to enlist philanthropic support of public broadcasting through establishing special initiatives funds and a permanent endowment to promote and enhance outstanding public broadcasting programs and services Email contact available with a Pro subscription Legal name of organization: PBS FOUNDATION EIN for payable organization: 20-1476451 This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

In 2025, the PBS Impact Foundation continued its mission with renewed focus and an unwavering commitment to strengthening communities, expanding educational opportunity, and empowering future leaders. Thanks to supporters like you, this was a year defined by bold strides, record-setting generosity, and transformational stories. We invite you to look back with pride at the milestones we achieved together — and forward with excitement at the lives we will continue to change. As the philanthropic partner of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., the PBS Impact Foundation is uniquely positioned to support initiatives that uplift communities, expand access to education, and invest in the leaders of tomorrow. This year, we witnessed the power of collective giving in action, with thousands of donors, brothers, partners, and friends joining our mission. With the guidance of our Board of Directors and the leadership of our National Chairman, the Foundation celebrated growth across every measurable dimension:

New partnerships with schools, organizations, and corporations Strengthened programming with national reach Together, we advanced our shared purpose — ensuring that the values of Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service are not just spoken, but lived. The mission of the PBS Foundation is to be a leader for philanthropic support of PBS, ensuring that PBS continues to be an excellent provider of outstanding programs and services. Acting collaboratively and cooperatively with PBS member stations, the Foundation works to secure the extraordinary funding necessary to maintain and enhance PBS’s commitment to serving the American public. At PBS, we are committed to sharing unique perspectives and insights so we can promote learning and advance understanding.

And it is the core of our mission that our content reflects our audiences and our nation. Through this work, PBS can continue to grow as a place where everyone feels welcomed, celebrated, and connected. “By aiming to unite, not to divide, public television might be what saves us yet.” The PBS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) supporting organization serving PBS and its member stations. Our mission is to help make public television an even stronger and more powerful institution by soliciting funding via grants from government and foundations as well as through major gifts from private donors. Working collaboratively with member stations and individual departments within PBS, the Foundation directs its fundraising efforts so as to benefit the system as a whole and provide extraordinary support for high-priority projects and initiatives.

Funds donated to PBS through the PBS Foundation ensure that the Public Broadcasting Service continues to be America’s largest classroom, its largest stage for the arts, and its most trusted window to the world. The PBS Foundation is both a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a 509(a)(3) supporting organization to PBS. Its purpose is to seek, cultivate, and receive philanthropic gifts and grants at the national level for PBS. The Foundation administers these gifts on behalf of PBS. PBS is a membership organization. There are approximately 330 member stations like WGBH or WETA.

The PBS Foundation was created in 2004 to provide the entire PBS system with significant financial support. The Foundation is a 501c3 and our only mission is to provide lasting financial support to PBS. Many grants, donations, and planned gifts come to us, and we pass them on to PBS to support content and other initiatives. The PBS Foundation accepts cash, securities, bequests, and most kinds of property. We seek major gifts and grants to support high-priority activities of PBS and donations to increase the size of our endowment. We accept unsolicited gifts of any size.

We do not have a used car donation program, but your local station might. Look up your local station’s contact information and contact them directly to find out if they have a program of this type. When making a donation to a local station, the difference is that you are supporting public media on a local level — i.e. that station’s operations and local programming. Alternatively, a gift to the PBS Foundation will support PBS and positively impact all member stations across the U.S. The PBS Foundation doesn’t accept monthly donations.

It is likely that you are donating monthly to your local PBS Station rather than the PBS Foundation. Please look up your local station’s contact information and contact them to cancel your recurring donation. Public television stations rely on viewers like you. Make a qualifying gift to get instant access to Passport, our popular streaming member benefit, or learn how philanthropy can strengthen your community. PBS Foundation is the national fundraising arm for PBS and supports PBS as a whole. Your gift helps keep the PBS system strong and provides revenue that makes outsized impact possible.

Donate to the PBS Foundation or let us know how we can help you reach your philanthropic goals. Landon meets his hero, WWII veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, Donald Stratton. The mission of the PBS Foundation is to be a leader for philanthropic support of PBS, ensuring that PBS continues to be an excellent provider of outstanding programs and services. Acting collaboratively and cooperatively with PBS member stations, the Foundation works to secure the extraordinary funding necessary to maintain and enhance PBS’s commitment to serving the American public. We aim to reach audiences of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities in exciting new ways. We’ll share untold stories, empower underserved communities, champion parents and educators, and inspire the next generation.

We’ll further PBS’s legacy, not only as the nation’s most trusted media organization, but as a valued and essential American institution. Together with our member stations and the essential support of philanthropists and grantors, we continue to share stories that matter with viewers like you. Established in 2004 as the national fundraising arm for PBS, the PBS Foundation works directly with generous donors across the country to deepen PBS’s impact as America’s beacon of thoughtful, thought-provoking media. We believe the best media not only entertains but informs, inspires, and unites. And we know that PBS’s essential service to the American public is only possible because of viewers like you.

Our Mission Pbs Foundation

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