Public Knowledge

Knowledge should be accessible to all.

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Mellon’s Public Knowledge program supports the creation and preservation of the cultural and scholarly record—vast and ever-expanding—that documents society’s complex, intertwined humanity. The program works with archives, presses, and libraries across the US whose work is foundational to knowledge production and distribution in culture and the humanities. Our aim is to increase access to knowledge that helps to build an informed and engaged society. We also aspire to cultivate networks and sustainable knowledge infrastructure and to ensure that an expansive and inclusive landscape of stories are shared, preserved, and told.

Grantmaking in focus

Inside Philanthropy logo
May 12, 2025
5 Funders Working to Expand Public Access to Knowledge
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April 29, 2025
Mellon Foundation Announces $15 Million for Humanities Councils
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Washington State University
Designed with Care: Mukurtu Provides Ethical Tools for Archiving and Preservation of Indigenous Heritage
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WGBH Educational Foundation
Reel Talk: Saving America’s Public Media Matters More Than You May Know

We support the work of knowledge bearers who are creating an informed and engaged society.

About our grantmaking process