The Kresge Foundation’s podcast PathBreakers has been named Podcast of the Year and Best Interview Podcast at this year’s Timbre Awards, the organization announced this week. It also won Best Content of the Year.

The Timbre Awards recognize podcasts that serve the public interest, strengthen democratic discourse, and prioritize accuracy, civic responsibility and audience trust. Unlike conventional podcast competitions that measure success by download counts or celebrity appeal, Timbre spotlights mission-driven productions that inform, explain and empower audiences—particularly in areas like public policy.

PathBreakers debuted in 2025, hosted by Kresge’s Tracey Pearson alongside Jamie Bennett, a consultant who works at the intersection of arts and equitable community development. It featured 12 conversations with nonprofit leaders from across the country who are leading work forging new paths toward equitable outcomes in cities.

The award-winning entry featured a PathBreakers Season 1 episode with Dr. Mona Hanna, the pediatrician whose pathbreaking research identified elevated lead levels in the bloodstreams of children in Flint, Michigan. Her episode centered on her new initiative, Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program. Through the program, mothers receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for between six and 12 months after the babies are born.

Judges praised the episode’s storytelling and its ability to illuminate complex urban challenges through thoughtful, deeply human conversation.

“This episode shows the importance of having a compelling guest and a host who knows just the right questions to get that guest to open up and tell their story,” a judge wrote.

Another judge added: “The storytelling is compelling and draws the listener in. I love the conversation style of this podcast and topics.”

“Industry awards sometimes simply validate what we already know to be true,” said Kresge President & CEO Rip Rapson. “In this case, what matters most is the impact: helping people better understand the forces shaping our communities and the role each of us can play in advancing change. PathBreakers continues to do exactly that.”

Season 2 of PathBreakers debuted in May with the same core format and a focus on PathBreakers working in Kresge’s focus cities of Detroit, Memphis, Fresno and New Orleans. The first four episodes featuring Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and three Detroit nonprofit leaders ran in May. A new arc focused on Memphis begins the week of July 6, opening with an interview with Mayor Paul Young.

New and returning listeners can find episodes from both seasons wherever they get their podcasts or at pathbreakers.kresge.org.