CDP, APT, Greater Public, NPR and PBS are proud to present the fourth annual Public Media Giving Days (PMGD)! With your station’s participation — whether you were involved in previous years or not — the public media system can continue to advance this two-day tradition for local public media organizations to acquire donors, raise revenue and deepen local engagement.  

The challenges your station — and the entire public media system — are facing after the elimination of federal funding make #PMGD2026 more important and potentially more effective this year. When donors and audiences share what they value from their local station, it can create heightened awareness and help move all of #PublicMediaForward. This includes groundbreaking journeys of discovery from PBS as well as local public television productions, national and international news from NPR alongside reporting from local public radio newsrooms, and carefully cultivated music from stations that advance that vital mission. Public Media Giving Days is designed to celebrate the achievements of both local stations and the public media system overall.

#PMGD2026 aims to build on the success of, and help stations surpass, the results you see above. We are excited about this year’s Public Media Giving Days event and hope you, your donors and your audience get caught up in the excitement, fun and fundraising success, too. 

When Do We Celebrate Public Media Giving Days?

Friday, May 1st and Saturday, May 2nd because public media’s impact on our lives and communities is so powerful that supporting and celebrating it deserves two days.   

As you know, people power your station. During #PMGD2026 take your case for support to the people in a concentrated and celebratory two-day campaign! Plan to email your member and prospect files, leverage your station’s social media presence, and consider on-air messaging. Encourage your fans and donors alike to shine their PMGD generosity on an even brighter future for their hometown station. But it’s about more than financial support. It’s about social media and simple word-of-mouth advocacy, too. 

Ask people to share their reasons for, if not passions about, investing their time and support into the programs and services your station provides. Suggest they share why they value your station through social media posts, emails, texts or even one-on-one conversations. Through any of these means, your donors’ authentic endorsements will usher in continued contributions as well as spread the word about the importance of your mission as only the people who most value it can.