Mellon Foundation’s generous grant aims to save America’s cultural institutions

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The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has announced a $15 million “emergency funding” grant to the Federation of State Humanities Councils in response to recent federal funding cuts. The grant aims to support the federation’s programmes and general operations, which were severely impacted by the elimination of $65 million earmarked for state humanities councils due to federal cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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The grant includes $2.8 million that will be reallocated as challenge grants of up to $50,000 for each of the more than 50 councils nationwide. These challenge grants are designed to encourage and empower local funders and individual donors. Humanities councils, established by Congress in 1971, are nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisations that provide critical services, promote understanding of shared humanity, and offer programmes that uplift local communities.

The federal cuts have left many councils facing significant service reductions and even closure, jeopardising vital cultural programming. Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander emphasised the importance of these councils, stating, “The places where American communities come together to read, learn, and engage with the humanities’ vast and varied forms of knowledge and creativity are often those supported by these councils.”

Alexander further highlighted the stakes, saying, “At stake are both the operational integrity of organisations like museums, libraries, and historical societies in every single state, as well as the mechanisms to participate in the cultural dynamism and exchange that is a fundamental part of American civic life.” While acknowledging that the grant will not cover the entirety of the cuts, Alexander expressed the foundation’s commitment to the work of the humanities councils, stating, “While Mellon’s grantmaking will not cover the entirety of these cuts, we stand side by side with the 56 humanities councils across the United States and remain deeply committed to the work they lead on behalf of us all.

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