Rochester, NY – November 9, 2022 – The Golisano Foundation has awarded WXXI Public Media a five-year grant totaling $1.65 million in support of the continuation and expansion of the Move to Include (MTI) initiative. In 2014 WXXI and the Foundation joined forces to launch MTI, an initiative that uses the power of public media to inform and transform attitudes and behavior about intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities.

This five-year grant will enable WXXI to continue and strengthen the core MTI content and productions including WXXI-produced documentaries, primetime and children’s TV programming, social media, and special events. It will also support the Inclusion Desk, a multi-platform reporting effort by WXXI News dedicated to consistently reporting on disability issues and stories of inclusion. The grant will also enable WXXI to hire a dedicated project manager to oversee productions, monitor the brand, and work to increase audience reach. WXXI’s investment over the next five years totals $1.1M.

In 2020 The Corporation for Public Broadcasting recognized the importance of Move to Include and awarded WXXI a grant to expand efforts to five additional public media stations, which include WFYI (Indianapolis), OPB (Oregon), WGCU (Southwest Florida), WCNY (Syracuse), and Iowa PBS. Now with the support of the Golisano Foundation, WXXI has a goal to partner with 40 new PBS stations nationwide to implement MTI in their communities.

“We are grateful to the Golisano Foundation for its generous support that will enable us to focus more effort on expanding MTI content and outreach,” said WXXI President Norm Silverstein. “Move to Include is an important part of our mission to ensure that a diverse set of voices is heard on our air, online, and in digital and community spaces.”

“We are pleased to partner with WXXI and continue our support for Move to Include, which has become a catalyst for inclusive programming in New York and several other states, said Ann Costello, Executive Director of the Golisano Foundation. "With the proposed expansion to even more stations across the country, we look forward to an exciting new era of inclusive programming and public education that will increase engagement and impact on issues, experiences, and perspectives of the disability community.”



WXXI has been providing focused coverage of disabilities for the past 19 years, first partnering in 2003 with the Al Sigl Community of Agencies to produce Dialogue on Disability, a one-week initiative weaving programming and news coverage focused on disabilities. In 2014 with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, the Move to Include initiative was formed, enabling WXXI to develop year-round programming promoting inclusion that now reaches more than one million people. WXXI has continued to expand production, increase the number of special events, and widen its reach online and on social with the support of $1.475M to date from the Golisano Foundation.

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About the Golisano Foundation

The Golisano Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States devoted exclusively to supporting programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Through its targeted initiatives, it is a catalyst for transformation, encouraging communities to commit to inclusion, acceptance, and opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to provide services that empower individuals to make their way productively and creatively in their communities. In addition to providing funding, the foundation also serves as a proactive partner with organizations that serve people with intellectual disabilities, working together to promote acceptance and inclusion in the community and workplace.

WXXI Public Media is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. The formal affiliation between WXXI and the Little Theatre, established in December 2011, enables the two organizations to work more efficiently by pooling resources and strengths in a number of areas including back-office operation and improved fundraising capabilities. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.