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Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Annual Giving
$524.7M
Grant Range
$5K - $10.0M
Decision Time
3mo

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $524.7 million (2023)
  • Endowment: $7.9 billion (largest private source of arts, culture, and humanities funding in the US)
  • Success Rate: Invitation-only model (specific rates unavailable)
  • Decision Time: Several months for invited proposals; varies by program
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $10,000,000
  • Average Grant: Approximately $640,000 (817 awards in 2023)
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily United States, with some international grantmaking

Contact Details

Overview

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the largest private funder of arts, culture, and humanities in the United States, established in 1969 from the merger of the Avalon Foundation and the Old Dominion Foundation (originally founded in 1956). With an endowment of $7.9 billion and annual grantmaking of over $500 million, the foundation makes approximately 800+ grants annually to organizations nationwide. Under President Elizabeth Alexander's leadership since 2018, Mellon underwent a transformative strategic shift in 2020, reorienting all grantmaking through a social justice lens. The foundation asks a central question of all applicants: "What does it mean to pursue social justice through the humanities and the arts?" This commitment positions the foundation as both a major funder and a thought leader in using arts and humanities to advance equity, access, and inclusive narratives that reflect America's diverse communities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation organizes its grantmaking around four core program areas plus Presidential Initiatives:

1. Higher Learning

  • Supports inclusive humanities education and diverse learning environments at colleges and universities
  • Focus on historically underserved populations and institutions (HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs)
  • Recent initiatives: $18+ million for race, ethnic, gender, and sexuality studies at 95 public institutions; $25 million for paid humanities internships at large public universities
  • Grant range: $100,000 - $5,000,000+

2. Arts and Culture

  • Celebrates transcendent power of arts and supports exceptional creative practice, scholarship, and conservation
  • Nurtures representative and robust arts and culture ecosystem
  • Recent examples: $35 million Jazz Giants Initiative (2025); $500 million Monuments Project (2020-2024)
  • Grant range: $25,000 - $10,000,000

3. Public Knowledge

  • Works to make knowledge accessible to all
  • Supports infrastructure for inclusive digital access and preservation
  • Recent awards: $5 million to Council on Library and Information Resources for "Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices"
  • Grant range: $100,000 - $5,000,000

4. Humanities in Place

  • Focuses on how and where stories are told
  • Supports community-based archives and public storytelling
  • Community-Based Archives Program: $25,000 - $100,000 for two-year grants (organizations can request up to 50% of annual budget per annum)
  • Grant range: $25,000 - $2,000,000

5. Presidential Initiatives

  • Impact-oriented responses to complex challenges
  • Thematic initiatives include: Artists as Catalysts, Beyond Incarceration, Borderlands Cultures, Civic Engagement, Monuments and Memory, Multivocality, Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora, University Everywhere
  • Often involves multi-year, substantial commitments

Priority Areas

  • Social justice through arts and humanities (central evaluative criterion for all grants since 2020)
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational, scholarly, and cultural organizations
  • Cultivating inclusive leadership and institutional capacity
  • Historically marginalized narratives and underrepresented communities
  • Digital inclusion and access to cultural and educational resources
  • Preservation of materials from historically underfunded cultures and populations
  • Environmental justice studies and cultures of U.S. democracy
  • Community-based cultural work that tells the story of diverse America
  • Humanities and interpretive social sciences applied to contemporary challenges

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals (except through designated fellowship programs like Jazz Legacies Fellowship)
  • K-12 education and programming
  • Tuition support
  • Fundraising events
  • Unrestricted funding for individuals
  • For-profit entities (unless through expenditure responsibility)
  • Organizations without 501(c)(3) status or international equivalent
  • Projects outside core program areas (arts, culture, humanities, higher education)

Governance and Leadership

President

Elizabeth Alexander has served as President since 2018. A distinguished writer, poet, scholar, and arts advocate, Alexander previously served on the faculty of Yale University and is known for composing and delivering the poem "Praise Song for the Day" at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.

Key Quotes from President Alexander:

  • "At Mellon, we believe in the power of the humanities and the arts to facilitate a deeper understanding of the richness of human experience. Now, we urgently ask the question, 'What does it mean to pursue social justice through the humanities and the arts?'"

  • "I feel like artists are the essential workers for the soul."

  • "I am deeply honored to have been selected to lead Mellon, an institution that has been devoted to these areas across its history, and to have been called to the crucial work of building community within and across discipline and institution. The humanities show us deeply who we are and what it means to move through life by the light of cultural vision."

  • "If excellent and exquisite higher education is of value to anyone, it must be available to everyone."

Board of Trustees

  • Kathryn A. Hall (Chair) - Founder and Co-Chair, Hall Capital Partners LLC
  • Elizabeth Alexander (ex officio) - President, Mellon Foundation
  • Margaret Anadu - Senior Partner, The Vistria Group (joined 2025)
  • Paul Farber - Director, Monument Lab
  • Patrick Gaspard - Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress (joined 2025)
  • Melissa Gilliam - President, Boston University
  • Thelma Golden - Director and Chief Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem
  • Kelly Granat - Co-Chief Investment Officer, Lone Pine Capital
  • Sherrilyn Ifill - President and Director-Counsel Emeritus, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
  • Maryana Iskander - Chief Executive Officer, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Gaurav Kapadia - Founder and Chief Executive Officer, XN

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation operates primarily on an invitation-only basis. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Instead, program staff proactively identify and cultivate relationships with organizations whose work aligns with foundation priorities before inviting them to submit proposals.

For Invited Applicants:

  1. Foundation staff will send an email invitation with login instructions for the Grants Portal
  2. Proposals are submitted through the online Grants Portal (Fluxx system)
  3. Most proposals undergo multiple rounds of revision before finalization
  4. Foundation staff work collaboratively with applicants throughout the process
  5. Final approval comes from Trustees or Officers

Open Calls: The foundation occasionally issues open calls for proposals in specific program areas. These are announced on:

  • The foundation's website (www.mellon.org)
  • Social media channels
  • Email notifications (sign up on website)

Recent open calls have included:

  • Community-Based Archives Program (2025): $25,000 - $100,000 for two-year grants
  • Higher Learning Civic Engagement and Social Justice-Related Research (awarded $12+ million)
  • Humanities-Grounded Research and Curricular Projects (awarded $14+ million)

Decision Timeline

  • Rolling basis: Except for open calls with set deadlines, invited proposals are accepted continuously
  • Review period: Several months from submission to decision (varies by program and grant size)
  • Revision process: Most proposals go through multiple rounds of revision; budget time for this collaborative process
  • Notification: Via Grants Portal and email

Success Rates

Specific success rate statistics are not publicly available due to the invitation-only model. However, the foundation funded 817 grants in 2023, suggesting selective but active grantmaking. The invitation-only approach means organizations invited to apply have already undergone preliminary vetting for alignment with foundation priorities.

Reapplication Policy

Because of the invitation-only model, reapplication policies vary by program and circumstance. Organizations should maintain relationships with program staff even if a proposal is not funded, as priorities and opportunities evolve. The foundation values sustained partnerships and often makes multi-year commitments to aligned organizations.

Application Success Factors

Demonstrated Commitment to Social Justice

This is non-negotiable. Since 2020, every proposal is evaluated through the lens: "Would this project help create a more just and fair society?" Successful applicants clearly articulate how their work advances equity, centers marginalized voices, and contributes to systemic change. Generic diversity language is insufficient—the foundation seeks deep, authentic commitment demonstrated through organizational practice, leadership, partnerships, and project design.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities

Study the foundation's four program areas and Presidential Initiatives thoroughly. Successful proposals demonstrate clear alignment with specific program priorities and current initiatives. Reference the foundation's language and priorities in your proposal—for example, if applying to Public Knowledge, discuss how your project "makes knowledge accessible to all" and supports "sustainable knowledge infrastructure."

Institutional Capacity for Inclusive Work

The foundation prioritizes organizations with "exemplary capacity to pursue this work," particularly institutions serving historically underserved populations (HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions). Successful applicants demonstrate not just project alignment but organizational culture, governance, and leadership that embody inclusive values.

Collaborative Approach with Foundation Staff

Mellon program officers are described as "partners in developing stronger proposals, not simply reviewers of completed applications." Successful applicants:

  • View the revision process as an opportunity for strengthening proposals
  • Respond thoughtfully to staff feedback
  • Budget sufficient time for multiple rounds of revision
  • Communicate openly about challenges and needs

Realistic, Detailed Budgets

The foundation values thorough financial planning. Don't underestimate project costs—demonstrate you've carefully considered all requirements for successful implementation. Mellon often makes substantial, multi-year commitments, so think beyond immediate needs to sustainable impact.

Strategic Vision and Long-term Thinking

Position your project within a broader strategic vision that could warrant sustained partnership. The foundation's average grant of $640,000 and examples of multi-million dollar, multi-year commitments indicate they seek transformative work, not one-off projects. Articulate how your project contributes to lasting change in your field or community.

Humanities and Arts Addressing Contemporary Challenges

Projects that creatively connect humanities and arts to urgent contemporary issues (environmental justice, civic engagement, racial equity, democratic culture) align well with foundation priorities. Demonstrate how humanistic inquiry and creative practice offer unique approaches to complex social problems.

Centering Historically Marginalized Communities

President Alexander emphasizes supporting "cultural work that helps more accurately tell the story of a richly diverse America" and "lifting up narratives that have been decentered or falsely cast." Projects centering the experiences, voices, and leadership of historically marginalized communities receive priority consideration.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only model requires relationship-building: Focus on cultivating connections with program staff by attending foundation events, demonstrating alignment through your work, and staying informed about open calls. Mellon staff proactively seek organizations doing work that aligns with priorities.

  • Social justice is the lens, not a box to check: Every aspect of your proposal—from project design to leadership to partnerships—must authentically demonstrate commitment to equity and justice. This is the evaluative criterion for all grantmaking since 2020.

  • Think big and long-term: With an average grant of $640,000 and examples ranging to $10 million, Mellon seeks transformative, sustained impact. Position your project as part of a broader strategic vision worthy of multi-year partnership.

  • Embrace the collaborative process: Most invited proposals undergo multiple revisions. Budget time for this and view Mellon staff as partners who will help strengthen your proposal. This collaborative approach is a foundation hallmark.

  • Align with specific program priorities: Study the four core program areas and Presidential Initiatives carefully. Use the foundation's language and framework to position your work. Generic proposals are less competitive than those demonstrating deep alignment with specific priorities.

  • Institutions serving historically underserved populations are priorities: If you're an HBCU, TCU, HSI, community-based organization, or institution serving marginalized communities, emphasize this. The foundation explicitly prioritizes such organizations.

  • Monitor for open calls: While most grantmaking is invitation-only, occasional open calls (like the Community-Based Archives Program) offer broader access. Sign up for email notifications and check the website regularly.

References

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