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. An endowment grows over time, and every gift added to it strengthens Wyoming PBS for the next generation and the one after that. In June 2026, the John P. Ellbogen Foundation committed $300,000 over three years to grow the endowment. The Wyoming PBS Foundation board committed $300,000 of its own alongside it. The third $300,000 is what we are asking Wyoming donors and businesses to provide, and it is the only share not yet spoken for.

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.

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.

The story did not stop there. In June 2026, the John P. Ellbogen Foundation approved a $300,000 grant to the Wyoming PBS Foundation, paid over three years, to accelerate the endowment's growth. The Wyoming PBS Foundation Board responded immediately, committing $300,000 of its own reserves as a dollar-for-dollar match. The endowment closed the fiscal year at $1,687,780 on June 30, 2026. The first installments from the Ellbogen Foundation and the Wyoming PBS Foundation have since been received, bringing it past $1.89 million. When the full campaign is complete, it will stand near $2.6 million.

The Campaign Today

The Legacy of the West Endowment stands at $1,895,640. The campaign ahead is a three-way effort, and it works like this.

The John P. Ellbogen Foundation gives $300,000 over three years. The Wyoming PBS Foundation board matches that commitment with $300,000 from its reserves. And we are asking Wyoming donors and businesses to provide the third $300,000, the only share not yet committed.

Together, those three shares come to $900,000 in new permanent support. What that means for you is simple: a gift made today lands in the endowment with two more dollars behind it.

To give, contact Joanna Kail at joanna@wyomingpbs.org or 307-855-2360.

What the Endowment Does

The principal is invested and never spent. Only a modest distribution is drawn each year, and that distribution funds local productions, community outreach, education programming, and the infrastructure that keeps us on the air and in your home.

The reason to build an endowment is steadiness. A station supported by several sources rather than leaning hard on any single one can plan further ahead, take on more ambitious work, and keep its footing through whatever a given year brings. Your gift will still be doing that decades from now.

Voices from Our Community

"The Ellbogen Foundation is delighted to support the telling of Wyoming stories and our history, the sharing of perspectives and in making our voices heard. Wyoming PBS brings our people together in our love for this place we proudly call home. Thank you for your excellent work." — Mary L. E. Garland, President, John P. Ellbogen Foundation

"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 campaign is live. Two of the three shares are committed, and the $300,000 donor share is the one still open.

Your gift to the Legacy of the West Endowment does not get spent. It gets invested, and it generates support for Wyoming PBS 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.

A lead gift from one of Wyoming's most respected foundations. A matching commitment from our own board. And an open invitation for Wyoming donors to complete it.

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.