Through its program, the Foundation assists colleges, universities, and other institutions in training scholars; improving the educational attainment of historically underrepresented groups; diversifying the next generation of college and university faculty; and producing scholarship in the humanities that contributes to culture and society.

The Arts and Cultural Heritage program seeks to nurture exceptional creative accomplishment, scholarship, and conservation practices in the arts, while promoting a diverse and sustainable ecosystem for these disciplines.

The Scholarly Communications program assists research libraries, archives, museums, universities, presses, and arts organizations that seek to further our collective understanding of societies and cultures around the world.

The Foundation seeks to strengthen the systems of higher education and cultural institutions essential to building and sustaining viable polities and societies in emerging as well as more established regions of the globe.