Grant Resources

We make grants through our core program areas and signature Presidential Initiatives, including Imagining Freedom, our grantmaking in Puerto Rico, and The Monuments Project.

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Grant Resources

Grant application process Submit a new inquiry Managing a grant Grantmaking policies Search the database

Our four grantmaking areas

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Arts and Culture

Art and artists are essential to human connection.

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Higher Learning

Knowledge is produced everywhere.

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Humanities in Place

How and where we tell our stories matters.

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Public Knowledge

Knowledge should be accessible to all.

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Presidential Initiatives

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Presidential Initiatives

The arts and humanities can move our interconnected communities closer to justice.

About the initiatives

How and what we fund

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation actively works with our grantee partners and we are deeply immersed in the fields in which we invest. Our grants are designed to activate the spirit of learning through the creation and sharing of bold new knowledge and the inspiration felt in art.

Mellon makes most of its grants to organizations in the United States that have been determined by the IRS to be section 501(c)(3) charities, as well as organizations outside the United States that are equivalent to US public charities. As a rule, the Foundation does not fund tuition, K-12 education and programming, fundraising events, or provide direct unrestricted funding for individuals.

Our staff seek out and get to know innovative organizations, scholars, and creators before inviting them to submit a proposal for funding. Most Mellon grants are made through these invitations. We also welcome inquiries from organizations whose work aligns with our current strategies—please submit an inquiry for more information. Occasionally, we issue open calls for proposals. Sign up for our emails to be notified when we issue an open call.

Inside Mellon

Carter Stewart: How We Make Our Grants

Grants at a glance

$549M

Awarded in 2023

Grantmaking across all areas supports ideas and organizations that contribute to a more connected, creative, and just society.

See grantmaking areas

504

Grantees in 2023

Mellon actively works with our grantee partners, and we are deeply immersed in the fields in which we invest.

See a list of recipients

4

Grantmaking areas

The Foundation makes grants in four core program areas—Higher Learning, Public Knowledge, Arts and Culture, and Humanities in Place—and through its signature Presidential Initiatives.

Learn how we do this

1

Mission

We make grants to actively unlock the power in the arts and humanities that helps connect us all.

Understand our mission

Since 1969, Mellon has awarded more than 19,000 grants.

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Frequently asked questions

Mellon only accepts proposals by invitation.

Once you have been invited to submit a proposal, you should do so via our Grants Portal. View more information on our grant application process.

If you have any questions about using the Grants Portal, please contact Foundation staff at fluxxusers@mellon.org

We are always interested in learning about new initiatives. You are welcome to submit an inquiry.

We fund ambitious, visionary work at the intersection of the arts and humanities and social justice. If your organization has a project that aligns with one of our grantmaking areas, please consider submitting a new inquiry here.

If you are a current grantee, you may contact program staff directly or log into your account on our Grants Portal to submit an inquiry.

Program staff carefully review all inquiries and generally respond within eight weeks. 

Yes, we occasionally issue open calls for proposals, which will be posted on our website and social media channels. You may also sign up our emails to be notified when one of our programs issues an open call.

With the exception of open calls for concepts or proposals, Mellon invites and accepts grant proposals on a rolling basis. Open calls for proposals generally have a set application deadline, which will be included in the announcement and application guidelines.

Most invited proposals go through some revision before they are finalized. Mellon staff will work with you throughout the process. Once a proposal is finalized, it will be recommended for approval by our Trustees or Officers.

It generally takes up to eight weeks for our staff to respond to inquiries for funding. A portion of inquiries will be invited to submit a proposal.

The timeline for proposals varies by program and type of grant. Most proposals go through several rounds before they are finalized. For more information on proposal timelines, please speak with program staff if you are invited to submit a proposal.