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Minnesota Public Radio seeks $4.7 million in legacy funds to expand education and local music programs
Summary
Minnesota Public Radio asked the Legacy Finance Committee for $4,700,000 in legacy arts and cultural heritage funding to support Class Notes, Your Classical, The Current and news coverage statewide; House File 1019 was laid over for possible inclusion after committee questions about compensation and funding sources.
Minnesota Public Radio requested $4,700,000 from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to support statewide programming, school partnerships and local music initiatives.
Anissa Ragnas, director of public affairs and government relations for Minnesota Public Radio, told the Legacy Finance Committee that MPR operates a statewide network with services including NPR News, Your Classical and The Current, reaching nearly one million listeners weekly and covering roughly 95 percent of the state. Ragnas said legacy funding supports music education, live performances in schools, and archival work.
Teacher Megan Hadley described the Class Notes program, saying the live performances and online lesson resources reach students who otherwise lack access to live music. “For the majority of my students, this is their only, or first opportunity to attend a live music concert,” Hadley said, describing how Class Notes artists travel to schools and provide free, age‑appropriate performances.
Committee members endorsed public radio’s reach but pressed on financial transparency. Representative Heintzeman asked about salaries listed on MPR’s publicly available 990, citing positions with six‑figure compensation and asking whether legacy funding would support those salaries. Ragnas replied that legacy grants do not pay those administrative salaries and that about 74 percent of MPR’s funding comes from listeners, foundations and corporate donors; she said the legacy allocation comprises a small percentage of MPR’s overall budget but has significant program impact.
Representative Scrabba moved that House File 1019 be laid over for possible inclusion. After additional comments from committee members and supporters, the committee laid the bill over.
