NPR has collected a total of $113 million from philanthropist Connie Ballmer, once a member of the NPR Foundation trustee board, and an anonymous donor, after the media organization was defunded by the Republican-controlled federal government last year.
NPR announced the charitable donations on Thursday, describing them as “two of the largest gifts” in the public radio network’s history.
“NPR’s mission is unwavering, but our means must evolve,” NPR CEO and President Katherine Maher said in a statement. “This remarkable investment will enable NPR to continue to deliver the nation’s finest public service journalism, meeting audiences where they are today and will be in the years to come.”
Ballmer donated $80 million to NPR to boost its investments in technology, and the anonymous donor contributed $33 million to develop tools and services that other public media organizations across the nation can use for their broadcasts. No specific details were provided.
“I support NPR because an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism,” Ballmer said. “My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network.”
Ballmer is the co-founder of her own philanthropic organization, which she started with her husband, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in 2015. Besides co-launching the Ballmer Group, Connie Ballmer has donated at least $25 million to the Obama Foundation and served on its board.
The wealthy couple has given away as much as $3 billion over the past five years, according to their interview with the Chronicle of Philanthropy in March 2025. In 2024 alone, they gave $767 million.
The multimillion-dollar donations come several months after NPR lost all federal funding, following a bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump. That legislation was the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law clawed back $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the independent body that funded NPR and PBS.
Republicans thought the money was a waste, arguing that NPR and PBS had a left-wing bias.
Trump also issued an executive order last year to ensure NPR and PBS were defunded. In late March, an Obama-appointed federal judge ruled that the order was unconstitutional.
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NPR still airs content today even after the CPB voted to end operations in January. The public radio network insists its mission remains unchanged.
NPR complained about the Republican-led funding cuts in its Thursday statement. NPR said it lost about 1% to 2% of its annual budget, leading to mass layoffs throughout its station network. The nonprofit network once operated more than 1,000 public radio stations. Now, roughly 240 stations are considered full NPR News member stations.