Mellon Foundation Contributes $10 Million in Katrina Aftermath

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced today that it will contribute $10 million to assist educational and cultural institutions affected by Hurricane Katrina. The first five grants, totaling $5.5 million, were approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting on September 17 for immediate distribution to:

• Two severely damaged universities in New Orleans -- Dillard University ($800,000) and Xavier University of Louisiana ($1.2 million).
• The Southern Education Foundation, Inc. ($2.8 million), which in turn will make grants to three Atlanta-based institutions -- Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College -- and to other four-year, private Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the affected region. These institutions are addressing the immediate needs of guest students from the Gulf States and their own student populations.
• Associated Colleges of the South ($500,000), which will make grants to their two member institutions hardest hit by the Katrina disaster -- Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport and Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
• The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra ($200,000) whose musicians and staff have been forced temporarily to suspend all operations.
  

In making the announcement, William G. Bowen, the Foundation's President stated, "The Foundation wants to focus on the needs of the colleges, universities, and cultural institutions that are among the greatest assets of this devastated region. Of course, the needs of these institutions are far greater than what the private sector can meet alone, but we certainly want to be part of the funding mix that will be required."

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a private foundation, with an endowment of approximately $4.7 billion, which makes grants on a selective basis to institutions of higher education, museums and art conservation, performing arts, and conservation and the environment. Information about the Foundation, including its annual reports, is available on its Web site. The Foundation does not make grants directly to individuals.

Contact:

Michele S. Warman
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
212-838-8400