Valley PBS, known by its call sign KVPT, was one of 74 organizations awarded a stabilization grant by the Public Media Bridge Fund. The Bridge Fund is awarding a total of $26 million in the initial round of grants.

The Public Media Bridge Fund was launched in August after Congress voted to rescind funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which had supplied funds to stations like KVPT for decades.

Valley Public Television serves millions of residents from Merced County south to Kern County. It’s one of four stations in California being awarded Bridge Fund grants. The others are in Eureka, Point Reyes Station, and Redding.

KVPT officials did not immediately respond Tuesday to a call and email seeking comment.

The cut in federal funds was the latest challenge faced by Valley PBS, which in recent years underwent a series of leadership changes, staff cuts, and the loss of its antenna and broadcasting equipment in a Sierra wildfire.

Funding Cuts Jeopardize Stations

The Public Media Bridge Fund is a philanthropic initiative by the nonpartisan nonprofit Public Media Company that has received more than $60 million in contributions toward its goal of $100 million. Contributors include individuals to foundations such as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and The Dolby Family.

The first round of grants are going to stations that are the most financially challenged and in danger of closing, from as far west as Guam and as far east as Orangeburg, South Carolina. Stations in remote areas, such as the 12 in Alaska receiving grants, are particularly important for isolated communities to receive much needed programming, including local news and emergency alerts.

Many of the stations receiving the Bridge Fund grants relied on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for more than 25% of their annual operating revenue. In 2026 the Bridge Fund will work with them to develop new operating models.

“With this initial round of funding, our goal was to present each grantee with a foothold to stabilize their infrastructure and continue their vital services. Thanks to the rapid and generous response of philanthropic leaders across the U.S., we’ve been able to raise crucial funds and quickly get them into the hands of the stations that need them the most,” Tim Isgitt, CEO of Public Media Company, said in a news release. “These grants not only take another step forward in the collaborative effort to respond to a crisis but also create an opportunity to develop a sustainable future for public media that builds stronger, more engaged, and more connected communities.”