Artists as Catalysts

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Beyond Incarceration

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Civic Engagement

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Evolving Higher Education

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Expanding Public Knowledge

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Monuments and Memory

A large statue of a confederate general is covered in markings and graffiti. 

Multivocality

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Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

University Everywhere

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Mission

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History

Grantmaking areas

Grantmaking Areas

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People

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Financials

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News

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Events

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was established by Ailsa Mellon Bruce and Paul Mellon, the children of Andrew W. Mellon.

Founded

Grantmaking across all areas supports ideas and organizations that contribute to a more connected, creative, and just society.

Total endowment

Mellon actively works with our grantee partners, and we are deeply immersed in the fields in which we invest.

Grantees in 2021

Awarded in 2021

Tonya Bell

Maggie Slowey

Contacts

Press releases, images, contacts, and information about Mellon Foundation.

Mellon Foundation Fact Sheet for journalists and media

Mellon Foundation Fact Sheet for journalists and media in PDF

Mellon’s visual identity and image library is the set of visual markers that allows us to both express and reinforce our values through aesthetics. 

M graphic FellowsAnnouncement_Website

The Mellon Foundation announced the appointment of its newest Mellon Foundation Fellow in Residence, Kelly Lytle Hernández, a renowned scholar, author, and historian.

Mellon Foundation Appoints Historian and Scholar Kelly Lytle Hernández as its 2023 Fellow in Residence

A news announcement from the Mellon Foundation on the elections of Dr. Melissa Gilliam and Gaurav Kapadia as Trustees, expanding the board leadership of the institution.

Melissa Gilliam and Gaurav Kapadia Join Mellon Foundation’s Board

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A statement on SCOTUS decisions in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College

Statement on US Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action

“Visual Artists - The Continuous Thread: Celebrating Our Interwoven Histories, Identities and Contributions," 2019. Seated, front left: Huyana Mumby (Powhatan/KonKow/Tlingit/Kaska Dene) and Tisina Parker (Southern Sierra Miwuk, Mono Lake Paiute, Kashia Pomo). Seated in back left: Emmanuel Montoya (Apache), L. Frank Manriquez (Tongva), and standing, Keith Secola, Jr. (Ute/Ojibwe). Photo: Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, courtesy of San Francisco Arts Commission

Five Indigenous artists stand and sit in front of a monument in San Francisco

Office of the President

Photo: Sharif Hamza for Mellon Foundation

Headshot of Elizabeth Alexander

President

Elizabeth Alexander

With new grants to nine US municipalities totaling $25 million, the Foundation affirms its commitment to transforming the nation’s commemorative landscape through public projects.

Monuments Project Giving Exceeds $150M; Grantmaking Expands to Nine Municipalities

A class of 2019 graduate. Photo: courtesy of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, Babita Patel, 2019. 

A smiling graduate wearing a cap and gown stands in a room before other graduates. The graduate is holding up a diploma and a child.

Higher Learning

Headshot of Phillip Brian Harper

Program Director

Phillip Brian Harper

With its most recent round of funding, Mellon has committed over $60 million to increase higher education opportunities in carceral environments since 2015. 

Mellon Announces Over $5M in Funding for Higher Education in Prisons

Press Room

1969

$8B

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$510M+