About the Program

The Public Media Innovation (PMI) fund is about experiments, learning, and change.

PMI is experimental in both design and outlook.  In design: we are testing a new way for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to target and deliver grant funds.  The entire PMI grant process–from identifying the investment priorities, evaluating proposals, to selecting investments and sending out checks–takes three to four months, versus the traditional grant process in public broadcasting, which often takes as long as twelve to eighteen months.  In outlook: the PMI project marks a sharp departure from the risk-averse culture of public broadcasting.  No one expects that each investment will produce a winner.  But every PMI investment can and should produce knowledge that can be applied to subsequent efforts in the PMI process and throughout public broadcasting.

The idea for the PMI Fund came directly from private and public discussions held by CPB staff with producers, stations and networks, all of whom asked for a way to support experiments with new media. This message was reinforced by many of the speakers at the Public Media Conference, who encouraged public broadcasters to “leave behind your fear of failing, so you can learn by trying.”  CPB staff heard these comments and responded with the Pubic Media Innovation Fund, a project aimed at providing “risk capital” to test promising ideas in digital media.

In April, 2007, CPB established a one year Innovation Investment fund of $225,000 to be disbursed in two rounds, one in June and a second one in October. The projects selected for funding are found in the "Funded Projects" page on this website. In its first year, PMI investments were targeted to small-scale experimental projects that:

• Use the Internet to replace or supplement broadcast activities;
• Provide Internet-based pubic service or create artistic, educational or social impact that would not be possible through traditional broadcasting practices;
• Encourage the development of social networking that magnifies or extends the services traditional delivered by public broadcasters;
• Solicit or encourage the development of user-generated content (UGC), including the exchange of information, opinions or creative products among members of the social networks, participatory content creation or services, such as wikis;
• Create or distribute podcasts or other non-traditional audio and video services;
• Utilize online audio/video streaming, digital multicasting, wifi or HD Radio;

In January, 2008, CPB renewed the funding for the Innovation Investment Fund, this time with a total of $450,000 to support two additional rounds. Round Three project selection and funds disbursement was held in 2008 and targeted programs that tested new media revenue-generating strategies, applications or products. (See "Funded Project" section of this website for a list of Round Three grantees.) Round Four will open for applications on Feb 27, 2009 and will target educationally oriented new media projects to improve financial and economic literacy to help students - both adults and children - teachers and parents cope with the current economic crisis.