Mellon Foundation

Learn more about Mellon Foundation's Humanities in Place grant-making program, led by Program Director Justin Garrett Moore, FAICP, in Metropolis Magazine's latest issue. “All this work we’re doing—the objective of it is to build just communities,” says Moore. “We can have innovation and have caring in mind."

Led by Professor Thomas F. DeFrantz at Northwestern University, SLIPPAGE is a global think-tank exploring connections between performance, history, and technology. With support from the Mellon Foundation, the lab has launched a project that explores how Black dance practices across the US constitute African American identity. “Dance offers a lever of expression that exceeds language,” Professor DeFrantz says. “Dance, for me, offers a terrific way to think with curiosity and empathy.”

Mellon Foundation and Flamboyan Foundation are excited to announce that applications for the 2025 Letras Boricuas Fellowship are now open. Entering its fourth year, this fellowship will provide 24 Puerto Rican writers, both in the archipelago and in the diaspora, with an unrestricted $25,000 grant to support their creative endeavors. 🗓️ The deadline to apply is April 30, 2025. Visit letrasboricuas.org for more details. ________________ ¡La Fundación Mellon y el Fondo Flamboyán para las Artes están emocionados de anunciar que hoy, 18 de marzo de 2025, abre oficialmente la convocatoria para la beca Letras Boricuas 2025! Esta prestigiosa beca, que entra en su cuarto año, brindará a 24 escritores puertorriqueños, tanto del archipiélago como de la diáspora, una subvención sin restricciones de $25,000 para apoyar sus proyectos literarios. 🗓️ La fecha límite para solicitar es el 30 de abril de 2025. Visita letrasboricuas.org para más detalles.

The Mellon Foundation has awarded Prospect Park Alliance a $1.5 million grant in support of its Relmagine Lefferts initiative. Relmagine Lefferts aims to commemorate Brooklyn's African and Indigenous histories by engaging #ProspectPark visitors through a series of outdoor exhibits for the Lefferts Historic House Museum.

Promoting educational access in correctional facilities, the JSTOR Access in Prison (JAIP) program has reached a remarkable milestone, now serving over one million incarcerated learners across the US. Supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation and the Ascendium Education Group, JAIP provides JSTOR access to more than 95% of state and federal prison facilities, with the program active in 24 countries worldwide.

The Gateways Festival Orchestra, composed of Black professional musicians from the nation's leading orchestras and music faculties, returns to Carnegie Hall and Eastman School of Music this Spring. By celebrating the tradition of Black classical artistry and providing a home for its musicians, Gateways Music Festival, Inc. connects communities through the transformative power of music.

The International African American Museum (IAAM) was awarded a $750k grant from the Mellon Foundation, bolstering its mission to serve as a leading international connector within the African American and Black Diaspora.

Presented by the Eames Institute, The Curious 100 is a celebration of one hundred leaders who are harnessing the transformative power of curiosity to solve today's most pressing problems. This year's cohort includes Mellon staff members Deana Haggag (Mellon Program Director of Arts & Culture) and Justin Garrett Moore, FAICP, (Mellon Program Director of Humanities in Place). Congratulations to our friends of Mellon and Mellon Grantee Partners, Jha D Amazi, Dario Calmese, Theaster Gates, Carol Coletta, Rahsaan Thomas, and Sean Sherman, for their recognition.

🎶 Jazz is a cornerstone in our country’s creative culture. For generations, jazz has melded storytelling, improvisation, and musical stewardship in richly original styles. Passed down from elders to new practitioners, unceasingly since it was first sparked among enslaved Black communities, jazz excites our collective imagination. Join us on Thursday, March 20 at 4pm ET as Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander speaks with Farah Griffin, author and professor, Columbia University; Terri Lyne Carrington, founder and artistic director, Berklee College of Music Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; and artist, musician, and composer esperanza spalding. 🗓️ Thursday, March 20 at 4pm ET 🎟️ Free, virtual event 🔗 Register at on.mellon.org/3EMjjKb 🎨 Branche Coverdale for Mellon Foundation #MellonFoundation #MellonEvent #AmericanJazz #AmericanCulture #Jazz #JazzInitiative

With a $1.8 million grant, the Mellon Foundation has renewed its support of Agora Cultural Architects and its BoriCorridor project, a platform that gives visibility to Puerto Rican creators and connects the Boricua diaspora in the continental United States.