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Ann Philbin Channels Getty Prize Grant to NPR and L.A. Outlets Before Defunding Vote

Her donation directs $500,000 to NPR, KCRW and LAist at a critical juncture in the fight over federal support for public media.

Ann Philbin, director emeritus of the Hammer Museum, has been named the winner of the 2025 Getty Prize, which recognizes individuals whose work broadens public understanding and appreciation of the arts. (File photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Ann Philbin attends the Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show in Beverly Hills. (Credit: Ella Hovsepian/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Ann Philbin was named the 2025 Getty Prize recipient and chose to split the $500,000 grant between NPR and its Los Angeles member stations, KCRW and LAist.
  • She earmarked half the funding for national news coverage at NPR and the remainder to sustain local reporting and cultural programming in Los Angeles.
  • Congress is set to vote this week on a rescission bill that would claw back more than $500 million per year in approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • NPR continues to pursue its lawsuit filed in May against President Trump’s executive order that froze CPB funding for NPR and PBS.
  • President Trump has warned he will withhold endorsements from Republicans who oppose his rescission proposal, intensifying pressure on undecided lawmakers.