Summary

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Funding Standards and Practices articulate the core principles that ensure the noncommercial nature of all content distributed by PBS. These standards rest on three fundamental tenets:
1. PBS must protect its credibility and integrity by ensuring the editorial independence of all content from funders and the transparency of its funding sources;
2. PBS is committed to fully complying with federal law and regulations related to funder acknowledgments on noncommercial public television stations; and
3. PBS’s noncommercial mission and status are essential to its independence and trustworthiness, and must be vigilantly preserved.

Because it is not possible to anticipate every circumstance relating to funding arrangements or the creative aspects of a funder acknowledgment, these standards are intended to be illustrative rather than exhaustive. PBS will continue to carefully consider innovative ideas to maximize funder support, while also preserving its noncommercial nature. These standards are applied to all content distributed nationally by PBS; local member stations may adopt individualized standards at their discretion. When in doubt about how best to interpret or apply these standards, please contact PBS Standards & Practices at standards@pbs.org.