Grassroots Radio Coalition

At the GRC11 in 2006, conference attendees decided to establish a steering committee to help coordinate coalition issues.

The group's Mission Statement reflects the view that grassroots stations are more than "audio outlets": [1] More than audio outlets, volunteer-based community radio stations are cultural institutions in their communities, reflecting the unique concerns and passions of the people who live there.

With a system of governance based on openness and collaboration, and diverse programming produced by volunteers and funded by listeners, these stations are cornerstones of participatory democracy, offering ordinary citizens the chance to exercise First Amendment rights in a mass medium and audiences the opportunity to directly support the programming that is of importance to them.The Grassroots Radio Coalition was born in 1996, as a reaction against increasing commercialization of public radio and lack of support for volunteer-based stations.

Though not "founders" per se, Marty Durlin of KGNU and Cathy Melio of WERU are generally recognized as "midwives" of the GRC.

The People of Color Caucus is a loose group of producers and activists in the coalition.