Mellon Foundation

The first degree-granting HBCU in the United States, Lincoln University received a $1M grant in support of its interdisciplinary initiative on Black Freedom Movements. The initiative will expand faculty recruitment in the arts & humanities, preserve archival resources connected to the university's history of activism, and provide key support for student engagement and immersive learning experiences.

Each year, #BannedBooksWeek reminds us of the importance of open access to information. With a $100K Mellon grant, University of California, Berkeley is building out its Banned Scholars Project, which facilitates conversations on censorship, silencing, and academic persecution.

#BannedBooksWeek reminds us that access to knowledge is power. Book bans attempt to silence the exchange of ideas and limit access to information about our complex, collective history. What are the fears driving these bans? What vibrant knowledge and broader freedoms do we all stand to lose? In 2023, Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander joined former President of American Library Association and Associate Professor at Queens College Emily Drabinski to discuss the value of reading as a way to engage with ideas that challenge, champion, and contextualize our perceptions.

Today, Mellon Foundation announced several changes to its leadership team, led by the appointment of Julie B. Ehrlich as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. This promotion reflects Julie’s strong leadership and strategic partnership, consensus-driven institution-building, and successful delivery of Mellon’s ambitious, mission-driven work.? ? Julie’s portfolio as COO will include oversight of the Office of the President, Presidential Initiatives, Operations, Security & Strategic Planning, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Further, Julie will lead or co-lead on Foundation strategic planning and ensuring the delivery of infrastructure operational priority initiatives; enterprise risk and business continuity planning; and government relations. She continues to provide strategic advice and counsel to the President Elizabeth Alexander in her leadership of the Foundation.? In addition to Julie's appointment, Sheree Carter-Galvan has been named Executive Vice President, in addition to her role as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, and Sepi S. is now a Foundation officer due to being appointed Treasurer in addition to her role as Chief Financial Officer. Learn more about the Foundation and our team: https://lnkd.in/ej7CUv_c

Mellon Foundation has awarded a $3 million grant to the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), located in Benin City, Nigeria. Over the next three years, the award will support contemporary art residencies, archaeological research, heritage conservation, and arts education in West Africa.

How can we ensure that our public lands—spaces of natural beauty and memory—convey our most inclusive history? Secretary of U.S. Department of the Interior Deb Haaland joined Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander in a conversation about telling the #AmericanStory on our public lands. ?? Watch the full program at on.mellon.org/3Twymwa ?? Illustration by Emilie Seto for Mellon Foundation. National Monument, Bears Ears in Utah

“’A Monument to Listening’ is my attempt at leveraging the traditional monument to new potentials,” says artist Theaster Gates. Commissioned by the Mellon Foundation, “A Monument to Listening” is Gates’s #SiteSpecificArtwork within the Tom Lee Park in Memphis, TN. The work pays homage to Tom Lee, a skiff operator who in 1925 risked his life to save 32 people from a capsized ship in the Mississippi River. ?? Read more about how Gates transforms a historical narrative into an activation site for community at on.mellon.org/47w9DOn ?? Joshua Asante for Mellon Foundation

Have you ever wondered where a humanities graduate degree can take you? ?? In recent years, despite strong employment indicators for graduates, students and their families have been struggling with the widespread misconception that humanities majors are ill-prepared for post-college employment. To see how these degrees actually affect employment prospects in today’s world, we reached out to seven past recipients of Mellon’s support. #BackToSchool #GraduateSchool #CareerPath

The humanities—literature and philosophy, history and languages, cultural studies and the arts—all have something to teach us about civic engagement. On this #InternationalDayofDemocracy, how might these disciplines help us imagine and build just futures for our communities? In 2023, Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander joined Professor of African American Studies at Emory University Carol Anderson and former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera to speak about the power of the humanities in helping us understand our past, navigate our present, and envision our futures. Revisit the conversation, "Civic Engagement and the Determined Hope of the Humanities," at on.mellon.org/4d5hJhZ.

What if you could choose the historic sites of preservation in your community? Mellon Foundation has granted $300,000 for History Colorado to collaborate with residents in identifying places eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in San Luis Valley. The project also seeks to remove barriers that often prevent marginalized communities, including people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ Coloradans, from receiving #HistoricPreservation funding and designations. ?? Read more at on.mellon.org/4gmhC4v