a-25m-effort-to-support-artists-and-cultural-leaders-in-the-us-mexico-borderlands-302278143.html type: exa:news title: Mellon Foundation Announces the Frontera Culture Fund - a $25M Effort to Support Artists and Cultural Leaders in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands type: exa:news title: Coalition Launches Historic $50 Million Initiative to Bolster Nonprofit ... type: exa:news title: Mellon Foundation Awards 14M+ for Humanities-Grounded ... type: exa:news title: Newberry Library Receives $4 Million Grant | Newberry Library type: exa:news title: Grant Programs | Mellon Foundation
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$7.8B
-2.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$555.0M
+5.8% YoY
Grant Count
848
+3.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$654K
+1.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation's mission is 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.
The Foundation's staff conducts research to provide access to knowledge, information, and data to inform and improve strategies to help build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.
Current grantmaking areas include support for communities through the power of the arts and humanities, with recent initiatives focused on:
- Arts and humanities access across America
- Support for individual artists and cultural leaders
- Humanities-grounded research
- Historic preservation and cultural institutions
- Literary arts initiatives
- Scholarship programs in the humanities
Grantmaking
The Foundation appears to be open to applications and is actively staffed based on recent grant activity.
Grant Range
s and Activity:**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation's grantmaking focuses primarily on New York, California, and the District of Columbia, though it supports organizations and initiatives across the United States. Recent initiatives include specific focus on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands region.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets and Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $7,820,349,022 (approximately $7.9 billion)
- Total revenue: $1,060,000,000
- Total expenses: $585,000,000
- Total liabilities: $612,000,000
2023 Financials:
- Total assets: $8,027,994,221
- Total revenues: $450,432,209
- Total expenses: $654,044,753
The Foundation ranks in the top 1% of foundations by asset size (Rank #19 of 159,550 foundations).
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $7,820,349,022 | $8,027,994,221 | $8,189,888,621 |
| Revenue | $1,059,396,782 | $450,432,209 | $320,667,704 |
| Expenses | $584,700,649 | $654,044,753 | $688,730,792 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $641,858,148 | $602,175,024 | $575,407,926 |
| Net Investment Income | $328,076,515 | $272,446,003 | $453,063,562 |
| Distributable Amount | $385,147,277 | $395,340,961 | $423,952,962 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from The Andrew W Mellon Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships Grant
THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Arts and Culture Program Grants
THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Call for Proposals for Community-Based Archives
THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Executive Leadership:
- Elizabeth Alexander, President ($1.5M compensation)
- Scott Taylor, Chief Investment Officer ($1.4M compensation)
- Sheree Carter-Galvan, Chief Legal Officer ($822K compensation)
- Julie Ehrlich, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer ($642K compensation)
- Carter Stewart, Executive Vice President, Programs & Research ($615K compensation)
- Sepideh Sepasi, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer ($550K compensation)
Board Leadership:
- Kathryn Hall, Trustee and Board Chair
Other Trustees:
- Paul Farber (began 03/2024)
- Heather Gerken
- Melissa Gilliam
- Thelma Golden
- Kelly Ann Granat
Staff Size: 185 employees (as of 2023)
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELIZABETH ALEXANDER | PRESIDENT | 50 | $1,528,343 |
| SCOTT TAYLOR | CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | 50 | $1,395,936 |
| SHEREE CARTER-GALVAN | CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER | 50 | $822,239 |
| JULIE EHRLICH | EVP & COO | 50 | $642,483 |
| CARTER STEWART | EVP, PROGRAMS & RESEARCH | 50 | $614,568 |
| SEPIDEH SEPASI | CFO & TREASURER | 50 | $550,109 |
| KATHRYN HALL | TRUSTEE, BOARD CHAIR | 6 | $75,000 |
| PAUL FARBER | TRUSTEE (BEG 03/2024) | 5 | $26,666 |
| JOSHUA S FRIEDMAN | TRUSTEE (END 03/2024) | 5 | $20,000 |
| HEATHER GERKEN | TRUSTEE | 5 | $60,000 |
| MELISSA GILLIAM | TRUSTEE | 5 | $40,000 |
| THELMA GOLDEN | TRUSTEE | 5 | $40,000 |
| KELLY ANN GRANAT | TRUSTEE | 5 | $53,333 |
| JONATHAN HOLLOWAY | TRUSTEE | 5 | $60,000 |
| SHERRILYN IFILL | TRUSTEE | 5 | $40,000 |
| MARYANA ISKANDER | TRUSTEE (BEG 03/2024) | 5 | $26,666 |
| GAURAV KAPADIA | TRUSTEE | 5 | $40,000 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**Frontera Culture Fund:** The Foundation announced a $25 million initiative to support artists and cultural leaders in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands
**Literary Arts Coalition:** The Foundation participated in launching a historic $50 million initiative to bolster literary arts
**Humanities-Grounded Research:** The Foundation awarded $14 million+ for humanities-grounded research initiatives
**2026 Jazz Legacies Fellows:** The Foundation announced the 2026 cohort of Jazz Legacies Fellows
**Community-Focused Grants:** Recent grant stories highlight support for projects including Native food systems, Japanese incarceration camp history, and augmented reality public monuments
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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