February 22, 2023 Why Mellon Is Boosting Art That Confronts the Criminal Justice System February 22, 2023/ Dawn Wolfe The leading funder of the humanities committed $125 million to lift up the artistic voices of those directly impacted by American legal system. It’s a big influx of cash for this field, and one that Mellon hopes will have broad impacts. Read More
July 05, 2022 “Hear New Voices.” A Look at Mellon’s Latest Move to Reimagine America’s Cultural Landscape July 05, 2022/ Mike Scutari A new grant finds the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation doubling down on its efforts to amplify overlooked histories and stories. It also reflects philanthropy’s growing interest in cultivating a more inclusive body politic.Read More
May 05, 2022 How Eight Grantmakers Fund Civic Engagement and Democracy on College Campuses May 05, 2022/ Mike Scutari Giving for civic engagement on campus is a small but increasingly important component of the higher ed funding ecosystem. Here’s a list of eight key grantmakers and how they approach that work.Read More
March 30, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on With Philanthropy for Theater? March 30, 2022/ IP Staff Like all the performing arts, theater has been hit hard by the pandemic, and funders are making moves to bolster the nonprofit theater world now and into the future. Here’s our rundown of who’s doing what.Read More
February 08, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going on With Philanthropy for Writing and Literature? February 08, 2022/ IP Staff Philanthropy for writing and literature is minuscule compared to other arts, but the field has some steadfast supporters, including major foundations and smaller family foundations. Read More
January 20, 2022 IP Briefing: What's Going On With Philanthropy for Dance? January 20, 2022/ IP Staff The dance funding ecosystem is small compared to other performing arts, and the impacts of the pandemic on top of decades of declining public funding mean a growing role for philanthropy. Here’s what you need to know. Read More
October 01, 2021 “Monuments Must Change.” Mellon Examines Symbols of Power in the American Landscape October 01, 2021/ Philip Rojc The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation backed a national monument audit to kick off its $250 million Monuments Project. The results are eye-opening, and raise plenty of questions for arts funders and for civil society at large.Read More
June 29, 2021 Seven Rounds, $100 Million. How a Global Foundation Responded During the Pandemic Year June 29, 2021/ Liz Longley The Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s $100 million response to the pandemic played out in more than 200 grants that backed communities around the globe. We take a close look at where the money went and why.Read More
June 17, 2021 Pursuing Social Justice, Mellon's Making Higher Learning Available to Incarcerated Americans June 17, 2021/ Dawn Wolfe The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is one of the few funders devoting substantial giving to education for people in prisons and jails. Its higher ed giving for incarcerated Americans is part of a larger overture to social justice.Read More
December 02, 2020 Mellon Dedicated a Quarter-Billion Dollars to Monuments in the U.S. What's the Game Plan? December 02, 2020/ Philip Rojc Earlier this fall, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced a $250 million commitment to reshape the nation’s commemorative landscape. As its Monuments Project takes shape, here’s a closer look at how Mellon is tackling a contentious topic.Read More
December 01, 2020 “This is a Big Leap.” How Are Performing Arts Funders Democratizing Grantmaking? December 01, 2020/ Mike Scutari An IP survey found that performing arts professionals were skeptical about grantmakers’ efforts at reform. But all hope is not lost. Foundations and regranting organizations share how they are fast-tracking democratization efforts.Read More
September 24, 2020 As Writers and Poets Struggle, an Emergency Fund Offers Relief to Literary Arts Groups September 24, 2020/ Mike Scutari The pandemic cut off many working writers’ sources of supplemental income and forced literary arts organizations to cancel revenue-generating events. Close to 300 groups will receive financial relief thanks to a new emergency fund.Read More
August 28, 2020 As Small, Overlooked Arts Organizations Face a Difficult Future, Mellon Steps Up August 28, 2020/ Mike Scutari While philanthropy and government aid have kept small arts organizations afloat during the pandemic, funding is drying up. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation launched a new fund to back vulnerable and overlooked artists and nonprofits. Read More
July 08, 2020 “Toward Greater Justice.” How Funders Are Supporting Artists in a Historic Moment July 08, 2020/ Mike Scutari George Floyd's death and protests that followed have galvanized artists across the country in support of racial justice. We check in with major U.S. arts funders to see how they are backing art emerging in this historic moment.Read More
June 19, 2020 Inside the Foundation Payout Debate: How Crisis and Opportunity Are Forcing Change June 19, 2020/ Michael Kavate Foundations have clung to 5% payout for decades, but an escalating debate over how much they give has become the “defining question in philanthropy today.” We explore the aligning forces pushing the sector to move more money.Read More
April 15, 2020 Alarms Are Sounding on Food Insecurity in the U.S. Who’s Answering the Call? April 15, 2020/ Liz Longley Millions of Americans faced food insecurity even before the pandemic hit. Now, with schools out and unemployment rising, the situation is growing dire for many. How are foundations, corporations and individual donors stepping up?Read More
January 28, 2020 Natural Allies: Why Equity-Minded Funders Are Giving More to Community Colleges January 28, 2020/ Mike Scutari Logic suggests that funders should find a lot to like in community colleges, which boost mobility at a higher rate than their elite peers. Three recent gifts underscore growing support for these historically overlooked institutions. Read More
June 17, 2019 How a Top Foundation is Betting Big on Prison Education and Reentry June 17, 2019/ L.S. Hall The Andrew Mellon Foundation has emerged as a leading funder of prison education, seeing such programs as a “public good.” Mellon’s latest big round of grants in this space comes on the heels of a new study showing how such funding can ease reentry.Read More
May 15, 2019 "Changing Attitudes." A New Tool Links the Arts to Measurable Social Impacts May 15, 2019/ Mike Scutari Fundraisers have stepped up efforts to show how the arts can drive meaningful social impacts in an effort to engage key groups of donors. A new tool backed by the Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Trust provides compelling evidence to help them make the case.Read More
August 20, 2018 Five Things to Know About Elizabeth Alexander, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's New President August 20, 2018/ Mike Scutari Mellon is the mothership funder for the arts, humanities, and higher education, with annual grantmaking of $300 million a year. Where will its new leader take this critical foundation?Read More