General Info

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that makes grants in five core program areas: higher education, museum and art conservation, performing arts, environmental conservation and public affairs. Within each of its programs the foundation directs most of its grant making to a few areas of emphasis in order to focus on a limited number of important objectives. Institutions and programs receiving support are often leaders in their fields, but may also be promising newcomers, or in a position to demonstrate new ways of overcoming obstacles to achieve program and grantee goals. The foundation seeks to strengthen institutions and their capacities rather than encourage them to take on ancillary activities, and it seeks to stay with programs long enough to achieve meaningful results. Unsolicited proposals are rarely funded. Prospective applicants are encouraged not to submit a full proposal initially, but a query letter of a page or less that sets forth the need, nature and amount of their request, along with evidence of suitable classification by the Internal Revenue Service. The foundation does not make grants to individuals. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation s main office is located in New York.