The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cornerstone of American culture for three generations, announced Friday it would take steps toward its own closure after being defunded by Congress — marking the end of a nearly six-decade era in which it fueled the production of renowned educational programming,

The announcement comes less than a month after Congress passed a package of spending cuts, which included stripping $1.1 billion in funding.

The CPB announced on Friday that it will wind down its operations due to the successful Republican effort to defund local PBS and NPR stations across the country.