2026–27 Grantees Expand the Initiative’s Reach Through Public Media, Libraries and Journalism Partnerships. More Than $250,000 Awarded Since the Initiative’s Launch in 2016

Brooklyn, N.Y. — October 19, 2026 — American Documentary (AmDoc) | POV announced today the 2026–27 recipients of Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue grants, marking the landmark 10th year of a program that uses independent documentary film to bring people together around issues shaping American life.

This year, Our America will award $30,000 to four grantees working across the Northeast, South, Midwest and Mountain West: HBCU Library Alliance; Mountain Lake PBS and the CEF Library System; PBS Utah; and Rocky Mountain PBS. The cohort reflects an expanded approach to the initiative, pairing public media with libraries, journalism and educational partners to reach audiences locally while developing programs with the potential for broader national impact.

Established in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, Our America was created to help PBS stations develop community engagement programming that could bridge political, social and cultural divides. Over the past decade, the initiative has provided more than $250,000 to PBS stations and community partners, grounded in the belief that documentary storytelling can connect people with different experiences and perspectives and create opportunities to find common ground.

“Community screenings, people coming together to watch a film and actually being together, it seems like such a radical and essential thing to be doing now,” said Robert Salyer, Director of Outreach & Impact, POV, who has led the initiative since 2021. “We are continuing to support stations in their efforts to build and strengthen trust in their communities and have seen firsthand the impact that can have. Stations are partnering with their regional library systems to bring POV films to their members, and having open and honest conversations about issues that matter to them locally. This work is more important than ever, and with the loss of federal funding, it is urgent and necessary.” 

The 2026–27 grants combine direct financial support with access to POV documentaries, educational materials, film discussion guides and strategic resources. Funding can support screenings, workshops, marketing, participant fees and other activities tailored to the priorities and needs of communities it serves.

2026–27 OUR AMERICA GRANTEES

HBCU Library Alliance — $10,000
A first-time Our America grantee, the HBCU Library Alliance will work with HBCU libraries to expand documentary programming and community engagement throughout the South, extending the initiative through institutions that serve as educational and cultural anchors in their communities.

Mountain Lake PBS & CEF Library System — $7,500
This regional collaboration will bring POV films to approximately 30 libraries throughout New York’s North Country, creating multiple opportunities for screenings and community conversations. Films in the series will include Arrest the Midwife, How to Build a Library and Remake.

PBS Utah — $5,000
A returning grantee, PBS Utah will continue its college media collaboration with Amplify Utah that uses POV films as a catalyst for student journalism. The partnership will also develop a toolkit designed for national distribution, extending lessons from the local initiative to communities and organizations beyond Utah.

Rocky Mountain PBS — $7,500
Rocky Mountain PBS returns to Our America to continue its collaboration as part of Above the Noise, a statewide initiative designed to strengthen civic engagement and community connection. Programming will incorporate Season 39 feature films and POV Shorts. As Colorado’s only statewide television network, Rocky Mountain PBS reaches communities across both urban centers and underserved rural areas.

Each grantee will determine how best to use POV films and resources to address issues that matter in their community. By pairing documentary storytelling with trusted organizations, Our America is designed to foster sustained conversation rather than one-time screenings.

“As an HBCU graduate of Hampton University, I am particularly ecstatic that AmDoc is partnering with the HBCU Library Alliance,” said Asad Muhammad, Vice President of Impact and Engagement Strategy, American Documentary. “We have our own POV digital library of full-length documentaries and shorts that will invite students to expand their thinking on everything from gun violence to climate solutions. We are proud of the community and public media investments we’ve made these past ten years, and our focus is to continue to support public media stations and organizations with a commitment to open media access, collective power, resource sharing, and transformative storytelling!”

The milestone comes at an important moment for public media and the communities it serves. Stations across the country are confronting shifts in audience behavior and technology, persistent misinformation and heightened political polarization while operating with increasingly constrained resources.

Our America provides organizations with tools to bring people together around stories and issues shaping their lives and the nation. Through documentary screenings and facilitated conversations, public media stations and their partners can create opportunities for audiences to listen, exchange ideas and consider the future of their communities. At a time of heightened civic engagement, these connections can help strengthen dialogue and a sense of shared purpose that extend well beyond any single election cycle.

That work is especially meaningful as public media organizations contend with significant reductions in funding. In July 2025, Congress enacted the Rescissions Act of 2025, eliminating approximately $1.07 billion in previously approved appropriations to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

As Our America enters its second decade, the program will continue to build relationships that broaden its regional impact, strengthen ties among public media and civic institutions, and develop engagement models that can travel beyond the communities in which they originate.

Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue is made possible with the generous support of the Open Society Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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