Minnesota Public Radio has announced a cash gift of $56 million, the largest in the organization’s 55-year history, from an anonymous donor. 

In keeping with the donor’s explicit intent for the gift, the funds will be used exclusively to serve YourClassical audiences and provide technological support for new media transmission. To that end, MPR will establish a permanent endowment to ensure stewardship of the contribution, to best serve the donor’s designated purpose and work to increase national appreciation of classical music and expand audience reach with new programming and technologies. The allocation of funds between classical programming and new media technologies will be guided by the organization’s strategic priorities. 

“This extraordinary gift will have a transformative impact on the future of Minnesota Public Radio and the communities we serve,” said Jean Taylor, president and CEO of MPR parent organization American Public Media Group (APMG). “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.” 

“At MPR, we are committed to being a trusted and independent source of information and inspiration for audiences across a diverse portfolio of programming and channels,” said Duchesne Drew, senior vice president of APMG and president of MPR. “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.”