About Friends of Pbs Wisconsin
To support the educational, cultural, and community broadcasting services of PBS Wisconsin through securing financial support, positive community relations, a strong and effective volunteer system, and related administrative services.
Focus Areas
public broadcastingeducationjournalismartslocal/state programmingcommunity outreach
Who They Fund
public media organizations (PBS member stations)statewide Wisconsin viewers/communitieseducational/academic licensors (e.g., University-licensed broadcasters)
Funding Style
general operating supportproject-specific (restricted) grants
About Friends of Pbs Wisconsin
Friends of Pbs Wisconsin Inc backs PBS Wisconsin’s public service role through large operating and project grants to the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Foundation Inc. The foundation’s recent support is built around keeping WHA-TV and WPBF funded for general overall support, specific projects, and production work tied to Wisconsin public broadcasting. A 2025 grant of $9,168,922 to University of Wisconsin - Madison shows the scale of that support, and a 2025 grant of $2,416,444 to Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Foundation Inc points to a second institutional channel for the same mission. The grant purposes repeatedly reference PBS Wisconsin operating under university or board licenses, which makes the funder’s relationship to statewide public media central to its identity. The grant list also includes Boettcher Trinklein Television Inc in Hartland, indicating that its support extends beyond the main Madison institutions when a production or support need fits the broadcasting mission. Across the file, the foundation is funding public broadcasting services, specific productions, and related administrative support rather than broad grantmaking across many sectors.
What Friends of Pbs Wisconsin Funds
Public broadcasting is the core focus. The foundation gave $7,524,250 to University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2024 to provide WHA-TV, operating as PBS Wisconsin, with general overall support and support for specific projects. A separate 2024 grant of $2,842,969 to Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Foundation Inc served the same PBS Wisconsin mission through WPBF under the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board license. It also supports production work: Boettcher Trinklein Television Inc received $285,000 in 2025 for general overall support and specific production projects. Education and civic information also appear in the grant purposes. The active America@250 Community Conversations Grants program offers $500 awards in Wisconsin for community conversations on Revolutionary War-era themes such as freedom, democracy, and service, with PBS Wisconsin and partners providing facilitation. That program links the foundation’s media work to public discussion and history education.
How Friends of Pbs Wisconsin Gives
Typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $2,416,444, the median is $2,842,969, and the 75th percentile is $7,524,250. The recent file shows repeated support to the same Wisconsin public media institutions across 2024 and 2025, which points to recurring institutional funding rather than one-off awards. The foundation does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its active community program is separate from its main grant pattern and uses $500 awards with unsolicited applications accepted.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$13.2M
Total Assets
$37.1M
Total Revenue
$19.7M
Total Expenses
$17.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $2.4M and $7.5M, with a median of $2.8M.
25th Percentile
$2.4M
Median
$2.8M
75th Percentile
$7.5M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ERIC GREILING
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