Announcements

Final Round of Grants to be Made to Parks and Arts Organizations Affected by Events of September 11

May 21, 2002

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced today a final round of grants, totaling approximately $6.2 million, to be made from the Foundation’s special $50 million fund to assist New York City museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, and public parks that were directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. As reported earlier, this round focused primarily on public parks and related organizations including the City’s botanical gardens and zoos. A significant portion of the funds awarded to the City Parks Foundation will be used to provide assistance to small and mid-sized park organizations throughout the City.
(A list of the organizations receiving funding is attached.)

The grants were approved by a special Trustee Committee chaired by the Foundation’s Chairman, Hanna H. Gray, President Emeritus of the University of Chicago. The other members of the Committee are W. Taylor Reveley, III, Dean of the William and Mary Law School, and William G. Bowen, the Foundation’s President.

In making the announcement, Mr. Bowen stated, “With this round of grants, we have essentially completed the Foundation’s special initiative in response to the events of September 11, 2001. As we stated at the outset, the needs of cultural institutions throughout the City far exceed our program of $50 million, but we have been honored to be able to provide some assistance at this difficult moment in the City’s history.”

A summary breakdown of the grants pursuant to the Foundation’s special initiative is as follows:

Libraries $3.6 million

Museums and Related Organizations $19.7

Performing Arts Organizations $20.7

Public Parks, Botanical Gardens, and Zoos $5.8

Total 49.8 million

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a private foundation, with assets of approximately $4 billion, which makes grants on a selective basis to institutions in higher education; museums and art conservation; performing arts; population; conservation and the environment; and public affairs. Information about the Foundation, including its annual reports and announcements concerning this special fund, is available on its Web site (http://www.mellon.org). The Foundation does not make grants directly to individuals.

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Organizations Receiving Funding

Alley Pond Environment Center, Inc.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation
Central Park Conservancy, Inc.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Inc.
City Parks Foundation
City Parks Foundation (regranting programs)
Conservancy for Historic Battery Park, Inc.
Green Guerrillas, Inc.
Greenbelt Conservancy, Inc.
International Print Center New York
Museum of American Financial History
New York Botanical Garden
New York Hall of Science
New York Restoration Project, Inc.
New York University Medical Center Foundation
Parks Council, Inc.
Poets House, Inc.
Prospect Park Alliance, Inc.
Queens Botanical Garden Society, Inc.
Randall’s Island Sports Foundation, Inc.
Riverside Park Fund, Inc.
Staten Island Botanical Garden, Inc.
Staten Island Zoological Society, Inc.
Wave Hill, Inc.
Wildlife Conservation Society