Enriching our understanding of a complex world, Higher Learning supports inclusive, multivocal humanities education and diverse learning environments with a focus on historically underserved populations.
Artist Judith F. Baca and community members at work on The Great Wall of Los Angeles (1930's section), 1976. Courtesy of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).
What Inspired an Epic Mural Cycle on the Los Angeles River?
About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
As the largest supporter of the arts and humanities in the US, the Mellon Foundation seeks to build just communities where ideas and imagination can thrive.
Learn MoreOur Core Programs
We believe that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity. That belief is at the core of our grantmaking programs:
Higher Learning
Arts and Culture
Arts and Culture celebrates the power of the arts to challenge and activate the human spirit while nurturing a robust and equitable arts and culture ecosystem.
Public Knowledge
Public Knowledge supports the creation and preservation of our shared cultural record to help us explore and better understand our intertwined humanity.
Humanities in Place
Humanities in Place supports a fuller, more complex telling of American histories and lived experiences by deepening the range of how and where our stories are told.