Building Something That Lasts

Wyoming PBS has always been here for Wyoming. Through decades of change in media, technology, and public life, we have kept our commitment to local storytelling, education, and the communities we serve. That commitment now has a permanent foundation.

The Legacy of the West Endowment has been established.

This is not the finish line. It is the beginning of something lasting. An endowment grows over time, and every gift added to it strengthens Wyoming PBS for the next generation and the one after that. We are proud of how far we have come, and we are clear-eyed about how much further we want to go.

How We Got Here

The Legacy of the West Endowment began with a vision, not a crisis. The Hughes Charitable Foundation believed in the long-term future of Wyoming PBS and issued a $500,000 matching challenge to help establish a permanent endowment—one that would provide stable, independent support for our work no matter what the future holds.

The Wyoming PBS Foundation board met that vision with their own bold act: voting to move $500,000 from the Foundation's board-designated reserves into the permanent endowment. It was a declaration of confidence in Wyoming PBS and in the donors who would join them.

When federal funding for public media came under threat, that vision became urgent. Wyoming donors and partners rallied. The Wyoming Community Foundation played a key role in helping direct a $250,000 gift toward the match, a powerful example of how Wyoming's philanthropic community shows up when it matters. Individuals across the state stepped forward as well. The challenge was met, and the endowment was born.

What started as an act of foresight became a demonstration of what Wyoming does when something worth protecting needs defending.

What the Endowment Does

The principal is invested and protected. The earnings fund Wyoming PBS year after year, supporting local productions, community outreach, education programming, and the infrastructure that keeps us on the air and in your home. It is a source of support that no budget cycle, political shift, or funding disruption can take away.

That is what an endowment is for. That is what this one will do, permanently.

Voices from Our Community

"Wyoming Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter. We were proud to partner with our fundholders to provide a $250,000 match to the Hughes Challenge grant and help build a permanent endowment supporting the excellent work of Wyoming PBS." — Samin Dadelahi, Wyoming Community Foundation

"We support Wyoming PBS because the high-caliber programming not only feeds our intellect and curiosity, but also intrigues us with statewide local stories, global scientific exploration, and cultural diversity. An evening with our Wyoming channel is filled with wonderful surprises, from theater to cooking instruction." — Carole Nunn, Donor

Keep It Growing

The endowment is established. Now the work is growth.

Your gift to the Legacy of the West Endowment becomes a permanent part of Wyoming PBS. It does not get spent. It gets invested, and it generates support for our work every year from here forward. Whether you give $1,000 today or include Wyoming PBS in your estate plans, you are planting something that will outlast all of us, in the best possible way.

Ways to Give

WY PBS is proud to share stories that bring our state's treasures and remarkable experiences to light. If you are interested in supporting daily operations, please consider becoming a sustaining member.