Detroit PBS Completes $7.5 Million Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation Challenge Ahead of Schedule

Additional Support Needed as Construction Set to Begin on the Fred and Barbara Erb Public Media Campus 

DETROIT — Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ have reached a major milestone in the fundraising campaign for the Fred and Barbara Erb Public Media Campus, successfully meeting a $7.5 million challenge grant from the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation a full year ahead of schedule. 

The achievement marks significant momentum in the station’s $40 million capital campaign, which is now more than 70% complete, and reflects strong early support from donors, foundations, community partners, and public media supporters across the region. 

The organization made this announcement at the Mackinac Policy Conference, where the Foundation announced the challenge grant two years ago. Coverage of the Conference is among Detroit PBS’ most visible components of its public affairs pillar. 

“This is a significant step forward, but it’s not the finish line,” said Rich Homberg, President and CEO of Detroit PBS. “Meeting this challenge ahead of schedule shows what’s possible when this community rallies around public media, understanding our future despite a fast-changing media and funding landscape.” 

 

A Campus Designed for Community Engagement 

Located at 234 Piquette Avenue in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, the 50,000-square-foot Fred and Barbara Erb Public Media Campus will bring Detroit PBS and 90.9 WRCJ together under one roof for the first time in the organization’s history. 

Designed as both a broadcast facility and public-facing community destination, the campus will include spaces for live performances, studio productions, educational programming, public conversations, and community events. The project represents a major investment not only in public media infrastructure, but also in expanding access, engagement, and service to Southeast Michigan communities. 

 

Momentum Built Through Partnership 

The Erb Family Foundation’s challenge grant was created to accelerate fundraising momentum and encourage broader community participation in the campaign. Completing the challenge ahead of schedule reflects strong alignment around the vision for the campus and confidence in Detroit PBS’s future. 

“The goal was to help move this vision forward. Public media was important to my parents, Fred and Barbara, and now supporting it for future generations is more important than ever,” said John Erb. 

 

The Work Ahead 

While the campaign milestone represents major progress, Detroit PBS leadership emphasized that important fundraising work remains ahead to fully complete the campus as envisioned. 

“This is where the work becomes even more important,” Homberg said. “Finishing this campaign will define how fully this campus can serve the community.” 

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with the campus projected to open in 2027. Once complete, the facility will serve as the central hub for Detroit PBS’s work in journalism, education, arts and culture, and community engagement. 

 

Major Supporters 

In addition to the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, campaign contributors of $250,000 or more include: Cynthia and Edsel B. Ford II Family; Gregory Haynes and Richard Sonenklar; Estate of Brad Simmons; William H. Smith Family; Nancy J. Henderson Trust; Estate of Christine Leonard; Sandy Koltonow and Mary Schlaff; and two anonymous donors. 

To support the next phase of the campaign and help bring the campus to completion, contact Jenna Moritz, Director of Philanthropic Giving, at [email protected]. 

 

About Detroit PBS: 

Detroit PBS is Michigan’s only community-licensed public television station, operating independently to serve Southeast Michigan with trusted journalism, cultural content, children’s programming, and educational resources for teachers and students. For more than 70 years, Detroit PBS has been a vital part of the region’s media landscape. Today, it reaches more than 2 million people each month across broadcast and digital platforms and is supported by more than 81,000 members. Detroit PBS also operates 90.9 WRCJ, Detroit’s only full-time classical and jazz radio station, and the Michigan Learning Channel, a statewide service providing educational resources for teachers, students, and families.  

 

About the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation: 

The Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, founded in 2007, envisions a flourishing, healthy, and resilient Great Lakes ecosystem and a culturally vibrant, sustainable Southeast Michigan. Towards that end, it works to strengthen the cultural and environmental organizations that share its vision to make this a reality for generations to come. The Foundation has paid out nearly $200 million in grants since 2009. In 2022 it announced its intention to spend down its assets by 2035. For more information, visit www.erbff.org.