Announcements

Fund to Assist Arts Organizations Affected by Events of September 11

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced today the creation of a special $50 million fund that would be used primarily to assist New York City cultural and performing arts organizations that have been directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. A portion of the fund will also be used to benefit more broadly the people of the City by supporting the public parks that were so important in the aftermath of the tragedy.

In making this announcement, William G. Bowen, President of the Foundation, stated that "While $50 million is a considerable sum, it does not begin to address the full range of the needs, and their urgency, that now confront cultural institutions--museums, libraries, and performing arts organizations--that so powerfully help to define New York City's special qualities. In taking this step, the Trustees of the Foundation are hoping that a variety of funding sources will consider similar forms of assistance for these and other segments of the City's nonprofit community (as a number of other foundations are already doing)."

The fund will be administered by a special Trustee Committee chaired by the Foundation's Chairman, Hanna H. Gray, President Emeritus and Henry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in History at the University of Chicago. Institutions whose needs and goals are consistent with the objectives of the fund will be invited to submit proposals for support that document the direct financial and other consequences that they have experienced as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. These proposals should also explain how the Foundation's funding would help to sustain institutional purposes and programs during this difficult transitional period. It is anticipated that grants to institutions might range from $250,000 to as much as $1 or $2 million. Proposals and letters of inquiry should be directed to T. Dennis Sullivan, the Foundation's Financial Vice President.

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. The Foundation's annual reports are available on its Web site (http://www.mellon.org). The Foundation does not make grants to individuals.