The HBCU Radio Preservation Project has received $750,000 from the Ford Foundation, funding that has gone to 14 radio stations at historically Black colleges and universities over the past year. The unrestricted grants support staffing, programming and broadcast infrastructure, and help stations absorb the loss of federal public broadcasting funds.
Key Takeaways
- The Ford Foundation’s $750,000 grant provided unrestricted budget support to 14 HBCU radio stations through a non-competitive, formula-based process.
- Stations used the money to stabilize operations, cover carrier fees, upgrade equipment and offset shortfalls after losing Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding.
- Recipients include WCLK at Clark Atlanta University, WEAA at Morgan State University and KTSU at Texas Southern University.
- Almost a third of the 101 HBCUs operate radio stations, and many have been on the air for more than 50 years.
- The grant also funds travel stipends for station staff to attend the 2026 HBCU Radio Preservation Project Symposium in Baltimore in November.
The Ford Foundation Grant Arrives At A Critical Moment For HBCU Radio
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project distributed the Ford Foundation funds as unrestricted budget infusions, giving each station flexibility to direct money where needs were most pressing. That structure matters. Many college radio stations operate on thin budgets, and restricted grants tied to specific projects often leave basic operating costs unfunded.
Stations used the support to stabilize operations, maintain essential staffing, sustain and expand programming, and repair or upgrade broadcast and digital infrastructure. The grant also covered carrier fees and filled gaps left by the loss of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which had long supported public radio stations across the country, including several on HBCU campuses.
Because the grants were awarded through a non-competitive, formula-based process, stations did not have to compete against one another for survival funding. For small stations with limited development staff, that approach removes a barrier that often keeps the institutions most in need from receiving support.
Fourteen HBCU Radio Stations Received Funding
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project grant reached stations across eight states, from the Mid-Atlantic to Texas. The 14 recipients are:
- WNSB at Norfolk State University
- KTSU at Texas Southern University
- WCLK at Clark Atlanta University
- WURC at Rust College
- WESM at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- WPRL at Alcorn State University
- WJSU at Jackson State University
- WEAA at Morgan State University
- WNCU at North Carolina Central University
- KJLU at Lincoln University
- WRVS at Elizabeth City State University
- WSSB at South Carolina State University
- WJAB at Alabama A&M University
- WVAS at Alabama State University
The list includes stations in major metro areas such as Atlanta, Baltimore and Houston, as well as stations serving smaller and rural communities in Mississippi, Alabama and the Carolinas, where an HBCU station may be one of the few local sources of Black-focused news and music.
HBCU Radio Stations Hold Decades Of Black History
HBCU radio stations are more than campus media outlets. Almost a third of the nation’s 101 HBCUs operate radio stations, and many have broadcast for more than 50 years. Over that time, they have recorded interviews, concerts, lectures, community forums and local news that document Black life in their regions.
Much of that material now sits on obsolete formats such as reel-to-reel tape and aging cassettes that deteriorate with time. Without preservation, primary sources documenting the Black experience in these communities could be lost permanently. Even newer digital recordings face risks if they are not properly stored and migrated.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project was created to address that gap. Operating as part of the Center for Radio Preservation and Archives at WYSO, the project partners with the Northeast Document Conservation Center to provide free preservation services to radio stations and institutional archives at HBCUs. It serves all 30 HBCU radio stations, and its model can be applied to tribal, rural, college and community stations facing similar challenges.
Present Needs And Long-Term Survival Go Together
HBCU Radio Preservation Project Director Jocelyn Robinson said the funds have met present-day needs while also helping secure the stations’ longevity and continued relevance to their communities.
That dual purpose explains why operating support and preservation work belong in the same conversation. A station that cannot pay staff or keep its transmitter running has little capacity to digitize its archives. By stabilizing operations first, the Ford Foundation grant makes it more likely that the history these stations hold will survive.
The investment also connects to a wider effort to strengthen Black media pipelines at HBCUs, including Morehouse College’s new multimedia center training Black journalists and broadcasters. Campus radio stations often serve as the first professional newsroom and studio experience for HBCU students entering media careers.
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project Symposium Heads To Baltimore
Part of the Ford Foundation funding will cover travel stipends for station personnel to attend the 2026 HBCU Radio Preservation Project Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, in November. The gathering brings together station managers, archivists and scholars working to protect HBCU broadcast history.
For smaller stations, travel costs can make professional gatherings out of reach. Covering those expenses gives staff from every recipient station a chance to share preservation practices, discuss sustainability strategies and build connections across the HBCU radio network.
FAQs
What Is The HBCU Radio Preservation Project?
The HBCU Radio Preservation Project is part of the Center for Radio Preservation and Archives at WYSO. It provides free preservation services to radio stations and institutional archives at historically Black colleges and universities.
How Much Did The Ford Foundation Give To HBCU Radio Stations?
The Ford Foundation provided $750,000 to the HBCU Radio Preservation Project, which distributed unrestricted grants to 14 HBCU radio stations.
Which HBCU Radio Stations Received Grants?
Recipients include WNSB, KTSU, WCLK, WURC, WESM, WPRL, WJSU, WEAA, WNCU, KJLU, WRVS, WSSB, WJAB and WVAS, located at HBCUs across eight states.
How Many HBCUs Have Radio Stations?
Almost a third of the 101 HBCUs in the United States operate radio stations, and the HBCU Radio Preservation Project serves all 30 of them.
When Is The 2026 HBCU Radio Preservation Project Symposium?
The 2026 symposium takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, in November. The Ford Foundation grant covers travel stipends for station personnel to attend.
