NPR is reporting that its fundraising leaders are asking the public to support the network as it enters a second year without federal funding. In a fundraising email, Elyse Poinsett, NPR's vice president of digital revenue and operations, said the "public" in public media is essential and that the NPR Network requires a growing community of supporters to carry out its mission of creating a more informed public. She said audience members decide whether the service survives and thrives.
Rachel Evans, NPR's chief development officer, said she joined the organization just under a year ago, making the 2026 midterms her first election with a front-row seat to the newsroom. She said she has watched teams at NPR and across the Network prepare to cover the issues that matter most to their listeners.
Evans said NPR maintains a "firewall" between its newsroom and fundraising teams, meaning no funder, sponsor or grantmaker has influence over its coverage. She said the newsroom also discloses when it covers an organization that funds NPR. She described those as examples of ethics and practices meant to ensure its journalism can be trusted.
Evans said the federal government invested in public media for decades, carrying part of the cost of providing local, independent news to millions of Americans daily. She said that investment is now gone, and while audience support has always been crucial, NPR now relies on the public to fuel its work. She said keeping reporters in statehouses and city halls across the country remains unfinished work, and that donations affirm the value of journalism she called essential to democracy and communities.