Funk: Resistance and resilience in motion! | Arts And Entertainment

KFAI’s Starlight Serenade, kicks off FUNKRAISER 7 Thursday, Nov 20, 2025!

Every year on Give to the Max Day, KFAI celebrates with 24 hours of Funk music on 90.3FM — a breezy on-air party giving gratitude to listener-members, and celebrating hardworking volunteers and staff, while uplifting other Minnesota nonprofits across all KFAI platforms.

But this year feels different, according to KFAI’s , General Manager & Executive Director Nora Doherty and Program Director Miguel Vargas, “Congress zeroed out the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — the federal support KFAI has relied on for more than 20 years. That 8% slice of our budget saw us through lean times, covering the basics that keep us on track: rent, utilities, our annual audit, and music licensing,” they said.

As an independent, noncommercial community radio station, KFAI isn’t funded by NPR, MPR, PBS, or TPT. “We run on community power. The fact that we’re still on the air means listeners are committed to keeping us here,” they said.

KFAI says it will put the FUN in FUNDRAISING, inviting listeners aboard the FUNKRAISER to help ease into 2026 with more confidence. Every gift, Doherty and Vargas said, keeps the station alive and lifts voices of the community.

Over the past few years, KFAI’s volume has grown — lapsed members have come back in record numbers, and the energy around KFAI has been electric. This Give to the Max Day, “We’re celebrating the joy and the magic of community radio people — listeners, volunteers, musicians, dreamers, and doers — all of us keeping the signal strong.” they said.

KFAI’s biggest source of strength is members, underwriters, and listeners who believe in community-powered radio.

On average between FY22–FY25, 40% of KFAI revenue was from individual donors, 30% was underwriting from local businesses and organizations; 22% was from State of Minnesota grants, and 8% from federal grants through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

The station reported an annual operating budget of about $600,000 with average daily operating cost of about $2,155. 30% of revenues support salaries, benefits, and taxes for the staff; 30% covers professional services like auditors, accountants, and independent contractors who provide essential technical and creative support; 15% covers rent at the Bailey Building studios and transmitter lease at the IDS Center; 15% goes to equipment and technology; and 5%  covers administrative and operational costs like postage, office supplies, and studio upkeep.

KFAI was built to carve a sacred space for new voices and to strengthen the bonds that make community possible. Each broadcast is an act of resistance and refuge — we’re all so lucky to be here together, they said.

“As Minnesotans, we invest in the fabric of our community. At KFAI, that means more than what’s on the air. We build connection by developing, hosting, and sponsoring arts, cultural, educational, and entertainment events in-studio and across the Twin Cities,” Doherty and Vargas said.

“Our programming reflects the real Twin Cities — including immigrants and refugees from East Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and beyond — making KFAI a trusted voice for community wellness. We connect people with issues that matter: education, health equity, social justice, and more.”