The Foundation at a Glance
Founders: Ailsa Mellon Bruce and Paul Mellon
Year of Establishment: 1969
President: Elizabeth Alexander
Total Endowment, as of December 31, 2016: $6,204,634,000
Grants Awarded, 2016: $287,292,000
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies. To this end, it supports exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. The Foundation makes grants in five core program areas: Higher Education and Scholarship in the Humanities; Arts and Cultural Heritage; Diversity; Scholarly Communications; and International Higher Education and Strategic Projects.
Foundation Officers
- Elizabeth Alexander, President
- Michele S. Warman, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
- Mariët Westermann, Executive Vice President for Programs and Research