• About Public Media
• How CPB Funding Works
• Programs & Projects
• Open Grants & RFPs
• About CPB | Contact CPB

Grant Guidelines

The Collaborative Operations and Services Grant Program (COS) supports projects that use mergers, consolidations, functional integration, centralization or collaboration to deliver the following outcomes for public media stations:

• The preservation of service by stations that deliver sole or unduplicated services to a specific audience or region;
  
  AND/OR:
  
  
• Significant increases in station efficiency in functional and administrative areas (e.g. such as human resources, finance, development, engineering, program scheduling, traffic and content production), accompanied by increased performance levels and improved prospects for higher net revenues;
  
  AND/OR:
  
  
• Significant improvements in station performance in local content creation and service delivery.

This program is not intended to fund initial discussions, research or analyses, which should be conducted in advance of an application. The COS grant program is intended to support the required due diligence regarding specific scenarios and plans, and the finalization and implementation of the merger, consolidation, functional integration, centralization or collaboration plan.

Please download the Grant Guidelines for detailed information, including application requirements.

• Grant Guidelines 175 KB

Eligibility

Eligible projects must include or benefit a minimum of two TV, Joint or Radio licensees that receive Community Service Grants (“CSG Recipients”). Licensees that receive multiple CSGs are considered one CSG Recipient.

Eligible applicants include:

• Any current TV, Joint or Radio CPB Community Service Grant recipient in good standing (“CSG Recipient”);
• Collaborations of CSG Recipients, with a single leading fiscal agent;
• Existing non-profit organizations formed by, representing, or delivering services to CSG Recipients.

Contact

Any questions about program guidelines and grant requirements should be submitted by email to COS@cpb.org. They will be answered by CPB staff members, and shared (without applicant attribution) on CPB’s website, using a Frequently Asked Questions format.