Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS Announce Major Investment in Diversity Programming

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS announced the establishment of a Diversity and Innovation Fund of $20 million to be spent over two years to support the PBS' National Program Service (NPS).

The Diversity and Innovation Fund aims to broaden the NPS audience by attracting younger, more racially and ethnically diverse viewers and content creators. It seeks to expand its current audience through the increased use of content and topics created by a wide-ranging group of producers and through the use of new and emerging technologies. Recognizing that innovation is central to the goal of reaching and engaging younger and more diverse audiences, the fund will encourage the use of technology in the planning, production and distribution of the content. Resources for these projects will be allocated across four content areas: television-centered, multi-platform content; digital initiatives; education initiatives and gaming. Most of the projects from this fund will be chosen through requests for proposals (RFPs), with CPB and PBS working together during the selection process. Detailed guidelines for the fund will be posted on the CPB and PBS websites in June. The first RFP will be issued June 15th.