NPR Receives $80 Million Connie Ballmer Gift and $33 Million Anonymous Donation After $1.1 Billion Federal Public Broadcasting Cut
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NPR announced it has received $113 million in charitable gifts after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in federal public broadcasting funding: an $80 million gift from philanthropist Connie Ballmer and a $33 million anonymous donation. NPR and other reporting say the Ballmer gift is intended to expand digital capabilities and cross-platform reach, while the anonymous gift will be used to develop and share tools and services with public media organizations; Connie Ballmer publicly tied her donation to support for "strong, independent journalism." NPR CEO Katherine Maher called a recent federal court ruling that found President Trump's 2025 executive order to slash funding unconstitutional an "essential victory," but she emphasized that the congressional defunding nonetheless remains a "devastating" reality because the money was not restored.