Mellon welcomes inquiries from organizations whose work aligns with our current strategies.

Ask difficult questions. Think deeply and critically about the answers. Keep looking for more. Listen to others. Don’t stop investigating. The words matter.

I have to understand how politicians think, what sorts of policy outcomes are plausible, what the best current science tells us.

I know that lived experience is the result of interconnectivity. My studies in the humanities enabled me to think through these connections and take them seriously.

Literature has moved me, transfixed my spirit, and helped me feel seen.

Listen to your biggest questions. Let them surface. Play with them in various modalities and contexts with those you trust.

Even people who might have loathed studying history in textbooks in classrooms often display a natural curiosity once immersed in a story.

My humanities studies shaped my perspective, deepened my understanding of social issues, and influenced my commitment to public service.

Photo: Michael Tyrone Delaney for Mellon Foundation

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From a CNN senior editor to a museum president, meet seven professionals making waves in the world who say they’ve succeeded thanks to their advanced humanities degrees.

Where Can a PhD Take You?

The Mellon Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies have both moved toward grants that serve historically marginalized communities that are beyond the university.

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The humanities is not at a crossroads, but is flourishing beyond traditional classrooms

Photo: courtesy of Xavier University of Louisiana

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The second cohort of ten institutions has received more than $14 million in grants to support undergraduate humanities study.

“Humanities for All Times” Initiative Surpasses $30 Million in Funding

By providing valuable dollars that invest in early-career scholars, we are lowering the risk of engaging in transformational research about the human condition.

PPFP really is a very powerful engine for transforming the professoriate of the future.



Mark A. Lawson directs the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which promotes advancement of diverse faculty across the UC system. He was also a fellow himself. 

A person in a navy suit and gray tie and a fedora hat with a brown and gray beard and black shoes sitting beside a lampost on the steps of a columned building

Proof of Concept at the University of California

Letras Boricuas fellows Margarita Pintado (left), Joserramón “Che” Melendes, and Sergio Gutiérrez gathered in Puerto Rico for a fellowship convening. Credit: Alberto Bartolomei, courtesy of Flamboyan Foundation

An elder writer sits on a couch speaking to a young woman on his right and a young man on his left.

The $25,000 Fellowship will begin accepting applications in March 2024. The Fellowship is projected to support 100 writers over five years, awarding over $2.5 million in total.

Five Years & 100 Writers: Letras Boricuas Fellowship Expands 

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Richmond Public Library to expand, modernize memory lab with new grant

Shonda Rhimes to honor Emmett Till's story

Mellon makes grants to support communities through the power of the arts and humanities.

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Artists as Catalysts

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Beyond Incarceration

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Civic Engagement

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Evolving Higher Education

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Expanding Public Knowledge

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Monuments and Memory

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Multivocality

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Power of the Word

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Public Places‚ Public Stories

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Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 