WASHINGTON — May 9, 2011 — The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) and DEI (The Development Exchange, Inc.) announced today they have received a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to expand The Grant Center, which identifies and helps secure new sources of federal and foundation funding for public broadcasters.
The grant will enable APTS and DEI to help public television and radio stations take advantage of funding opportunities throughout the federal government and the foundation world to pursue educational, informational, cultural and technological initiatives consistent with their public service missions.
The Grant Center was created 18 months ago through an earlier CPB grant, and the center’s work has been focused on identifying sources of funding for which public broadcasters would be eligible. With the new grant, the center will have the staff capability to assist CPB-qualified television and radio stations in applying for and securing this funding.
“CPB is pleased to support the Grant Center. APTS, through the leadership of Patrick Butler, plays a crucial role on behalf of American public media ensuring stations have the resources they need to provide their communities with trusted content and services that have become the hallmark of America’s public television and radio stations,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB. “American public media is uniquely entrepreneurial, always seeking ways to maximize the important federal investment, and the work of the Grant Center will help stations identify opportunities to develop additional support.”
“We are extremely grateful to Pat Harrison and CPB for supporting and expanding the mission of The Grant Center,” said APTS President and CEO Patrick Butler. “This service will be an important cornerstone of our commitment to serve public broadcasters more effectively and completely than ever before. The Grant Center has already helped scores of stations with funding opportunities they would never have sought, and the center’s new capability to actually help secure these grants will make APTS an even more essential partner in our stations’ success.”
“DEI is proud to continue our partnership with APTS,” said Doug Eichten, President and CEO of DEI. “The Grant Center is uniquely positioned to build the capacity of both public radio and television stations to identify new sources of funding and to seek and secure grants.”
In the next phase of The Grant Center, APTS and DEI will continue to offer an online clearinghouse, which is a one-stop shop for public broadcasting’s grant seekers. This service is free to CPB-qualified public television and radio stations across the country. There are currently over 280 federal and foundation funding opportunities on The Grant Center website, which is searchable and tailored to the needs of public media. The Grant Center will also continue to provide webinars offering operational and technical assistance to stations wishing to explore new funding opportunities.
In addition to the enhanced staff resources made possible by the new CPB grant, improvements in the Grant Center will include more tools for stations to increase their grant readiness and track their applications, more information and advisory services for grant writers at local stations, a clearinghouse enabling stations to connect with their peers to share best practices, and a continued emphasis on policy and trending information.
Meegan White will direct The Grant Center, and she will be coordinating with Amie Klempnauer Miller. White has been working with APTS since 2000, and her areas of expertise include federal grant strategy, grant writing and project management. Miller, DEI Foundation Development Advisor, has more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and has written successful grant proposals raising more than $20 million for public media.
About APTS
The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1979. The mission of APTS is to conduct – in concert with member stations – advocacy, planning, research and communications activities in order to achieve strong and financially sound noncommercial television and advanced digital services for the American people. APTS provides consistent leadership and information that helps our members better accomplish their own missions and goals. Through its affiliate, APTS Action Inc., APTS promotes the legislative interests of noncommercial television stations at the national level through direct advocacy, and grasstops and grassroots campaigns designed to garner congressional support. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
About DEI
Established in 1982, DEI provides nationwide leadership in fostering integrated and innovative business practices so that local communities can sustain high-quality public media. DEI’s services include national benchmarking research, weekly training webinars, outsourced fundraising services, an extensive online resource library and member co-ops for group purchasing of direct mail and data services. DEI also produces the Public Media Development and Marketing Conference, an annual gathering of public media fundraising, marketing and management professionals.
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