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Arts and Culture
MPR News Staff

MPR receives $56 million donation, largest in organization's history

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Minnesota Public Radio on Wednesday announced it's received a $56 million donation from an anonymous donor — the largest donation in MPR's 55-year history.

MPR said that "in keeping with the donor’s explicit intent for this contribution, the funds will be used exclusively to serve YourClassical audiences and provide technological support for new media transmission."

“This extraordinary gift will have a transformative impact on the future of Minnesota Public Radio and the communities we serve,” Jean Taylor, president and CEO of MPR parent organization American Public Media Group, said in a news release. “It will enable us to deepen and broaden our relevance with a growing audience by delivering compelling content, creating meaningful listening experiences and advancing MPR’s digital capabilities and infrastructure. Through the generosity and support of this donor — and so many others — we will continue to fulfill our public service mission.”

In addition to YourClassical MPR, Minnesota Public Radio also includes MPR News and The Current. YourClassical serves audiences not just in Minnesota but also provides programming to radio stations across the country, in addition to streaming online.

In the news release, MPR said it will create a separate permanent endowment for the $56 million donation.

"More than a quarter of the music we play at YourClassical features a musician, ensemble, or composer who is a woman and/or a Black person, Indigenous person or person of color. This generous gift will allow us to expand representation, grow YourClassical’s presence and accelerate digital innovation to broaden and better serve our classical music community," Duchesne Drew, APMG senior vice president and president of MPR, said in a news release.