[andrewmayne]

You're right in that the Kroc grant doesn't cover them forever. That wasn't my point.

I think NPR is a very well run organization. When they received the Kroc grant they used it to expand and increased their annual budget by 20%.

Coming from the non-profit world, this is a sign of an efficient organization that is very good at raising money. When given a giant bequest, they increased their budget.

We could debate what "need" means, but a non-profit that can increase its expenditures by 20% in one year and easily cover it doesn't "need" money in the same way other charitable organizations I've worked with do.

FYI: The page you link to lists the average for all public radio stations in general. It's not a specific breakdown of NPR or NPR member stations.