Longtime Npr Listener, Big-time Savior: Meet Connie Ballmer, Wife Of Microsoft Billionaire, Who Took On Trump’s Cuts

NPR received its largest-ever aid from a surviving philanthropist this week erstwhile billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer gave $80 cardinal to nan media organization.

Ballmer — a erstwhile personnel of nan NPR Foundation's committee told nan Wall Street Journal that she poured money into NPR because “we request fact-based journalism, and we request section journalism.”

She told nan insubstantial that she's been a instrumentality of nan statement since her 20s and that she listens to it “when I walk, I perceive successful nan car, I perceive astatine location and astatine work."

"I support NPR because an informed nationalist is nan bedrock of our society, and populist requires strong, independent journalism," Ballmer said successful a connection connected Wednesday. "My dream is that this committedness provides nan stableness and nan spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and fortify its nationalist network."

Ballmer and her husband, LA Clippers proprietor and erstwhile Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, person donated much than $3 cardinal to charities successful caller years, according to an question and reply they gave successful the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Steve Ballmer held onto astir of his Microsoft banal aft stepping down arsenic CEO successful 2014, and his nett worthy has since jumped past $100 billion. A twelvemonth later, nan mates founded nan Ballmer Group to effort and amended economical mobility for kids and families successful disadvantaged communities, CBS News reported.

Last twelvemonth alone, nan group gave distant much than half a cardinal dollars.

Her aid comes astatine an important clip for NPR. Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive bid ending national backing for nationalist TV and power organizations.

Approximately 1 percent of NPR's fund was funded done nan Corporation for Public Broadcasting. However, nan Corporation was responsible for up to half of nan operating budgets of immoderate smaller NPR personnel stations successful agrarian areas, according to nan broadcaster.

NPR pushed backmost and sued nan Trump administration, arguing that nan executive bid collapsed national law. The broadcaster earned a triumph successful March aft a judge ruled that nan Trump management could not usage its powerfulness to slash backing for NPR.

Despite nan tribunal victory, Trump's actions person near NPR to activity backing elsewhere.

“This is simply a reliable clip for independent journalism,” Katherine Maher, nan CEO of NPR, told nan Journal.

She told nan insubstantial that Ballmer's gift would let nan institution to go "more sustainable."

Ballmer said that she understands nan difficulties of moving immoderate of nan smaller networks from her clip connected NPR’s instauration board.

“Helping them modernize and return advantage of nan integer property is simply a awesome domiciled for philanthropic dollars and thing I’m proud to support,” she told nan Journal.

Ballmer wasn't nan only 1 dropping large money to support NPR connected nan airwaves. The news statement besides announced connected Wednesday that it had received a $33 cardinal aid from an anonymous donor.

In total, NPR received $113 cardinal betwixt nan donations.

Maher said that nan gifts would thief nan web and its personnel stations to hole for nan adjacent 50 years, calling them “catalytic investments" successful NPR's future, according to nan broadcaster.