The Public Media Bridge Fund, a new philanthropic effort managed by the Public Media Company and funded by major nonprofits after Congress complied with President Donald Trump’s request to cut government funding of public radio and television stations, has reportedly directed some of its $26 million in grants to multiple Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television stations throughout Tennessee.
According to WJHL, PBS stations in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cookeville, and Martin all received grants from the Public Media Bridge Fund.
The effort by the progressive nonprofits to provide funding to public broadcasters was announced in August by the MacArthur Foundation, one of at least six nonprofits behind the initiative, when it revealed almost $37 million was raised “to provide immediate relief to public media stations at risk of closure following federal funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).”
Of that funding, the press release said $26.5 million was destined for the Public Media Bridge Fund.
In addition to the MacArthur Foundation, it identified the Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Pivotal, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and Schmidt Family Foundation as the groups that provided the funding to the Public Media Bridge Fund.
At least three of these nonprofits have previously collaborated with George Soros’ Open Society Foundations or LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, while their shared interest in progressive issues unites all six.
The MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Knight Foundation were listed as founding members of the NetGain partnership announced by Open Society Foundations in 2016, when Soros’ nonprofit listed them among groups “working to promote the use of the internet for social good.”
The NetGain partnership reportedly raised $18 million and distributed it as grants “to strengthen the emerging field of public interest technology, with the goal of increasing the number of people around the world who are using their technological skills to improve civil society and government at all levels.”
Similarly, Barron’s reported in December 2024 that Hoffman, a prominent Democratic donor, partnered with an affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation to launch a $10 million program, the Trust in American Institutions Challenge.
“I believe that America’s democratic institutions are the backbone of a thriving society and a stable economy,” said Hoffman of his new partnership with the MacArthur affiliate, Lever for Change. “Trust in democracy is more important than ever, as we need to address complex, rapidly evolving domestic and global challenges. Our ties to one another, the health of our communities, and the future of our country depend on the institutions that underpin them.”
The Knight Foundation is also listed alongside Hoffman as a philanthropic supporter of the Ethics and Governance of AI Fund. Both Hoffman and the Knight Foundation donated millions to the effort by 2017, about five years before OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots entered the marketplace.
While Pivotal, the Schmidt Family Foundation, and RWJF do not appear to have contributed to other funds alongside Soros’ nonprofit or Hoffman, they appear to share an affinity for similar progressive causes.
Founded by Melinda Gates, Pivotal’s website states that the nonprofit aims “to advance social progress and expand women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world.” The organization says its current efforts include “Centering Women and Girls of Color,” “Mental Health for Young People,” and “Women’s Political Power.”
The Schmidt Family Foundation website indicates the nonprofit focuses on grants aimed at building renewable energy and restoring ocean health, while RWJF is the nation’s largest health philanthropy, and on its website currently prominently advertises a web page titled “Affirming Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
“In a moment of retrenchment and backsliding, we are moving forward with increased investments to diversify the health professions; supporting the legal, communications, and organizing efforts of partners working toward racial equity; and funding the preservation of critical health research, particularly data broken down by racial and ethnic subgroups,” the RWJF website states. “These actions will improve health for all people.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provided funding to PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) stations across the United States, announced earlier this year that it would shut down and began winding down operations after Congress passed both a rescission package and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, which together eliminated existing multi-year appropriations and ended all future federal funding for the taxpayer-funded entity.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “George Soros” by Niccolò Caranti. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo “Reid Hoffman” by U.S. Secretary of Defense. CC BY 2.0.
If the progressive, anti-American left wants outlets to serve up their propaganda, let them pony up the $$$ themselves.