INTERLOCHEN PUBLIC RADIO
As Federal Dollars Disappear, IPR Donors Step Forward
The timing of a transformative grant from The Kettering Family Foundation could not have been any better. Last summer’s rescission of federal government funding for public media created an immediate hole in Interlochen Public Radio’s funding model of about $300,000 annually— 14% of its budget. The Kettering Family Foundation’s grant supports the vital work of IPR, both immediately and permanently. The Foundation made a major gift to IPR’s Innovation Fund, bolstering the station’s ability to nimbly and creatively advance its programming now, and will establish a new IPR Programming Endowment to provide support for IPR in perpetuity. The Foundation’s leadership gift—the latest in their long, generous history of support for Interlochen, including Academy scholarships and capital improvements such as the Dance Center and Dow House—was part of an overwhelming outpouring of support from IPR donors. 1,110 new donors joined IPR’s supporter community. 575 donors increased their sustaining gifts, and we welcomed 826 new IPR Sustainers and 127 new leadership donors. Thanks to this unprecedented level of donor generosity, IPR’s funding challenge became an opportunity to advance its mission and to deepen its innovation and community ties. The impact of this support from The Kettering Family Foundation and others, especially for IPR’s program innovation, has been palpable in countless ways. IPR
News has made several key new hires in reporting, editing, and outreach roles, helping broaden and diversify its journalism—such as that featured in the Up North Lowdown —while also making it more nimble and compelling. Meanwhile, Classical IPR continues to advance two of its most popular outlets for community outreach: the “Classical Happy Hour” series at Traverse City’s Little Fleet and the Sound Garden Project in communities throughout northern Michigan, both of which take classical music to new ears and extend the reach of Classical IPR with new segments of its community. The challenge moving forward is to maintain a stable level of IPR listener support, year over year, so that investments in staffing and program innovation can continue to reap lasting benefits for IPR’s community. The Kettering Family Foundation’s leadership gift for IPR sets a template of philanthropic impact. Thanks to all of IPR’s supporters, the station moves forward— with, thankfully, much work still to do. “Last July, Congress voted to eliminate federal support, and donors responded in droves. The number of IPR supporters grew about 27 percent this year—an additional 1,200 people! This more than filled the hole created by the rescission and has allowed us to keep building our service. Thanks for being part of that growing group. We ask you to stick with IPR as we navigate what appears to be a permanent change in our business model.” — Peter Payette, Executive Director, IPR
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