In the interest of maintaining a grantmaking portfolio that supports inquiry into issues of vital social, cultural, and historical import, the Higher Learning program at the Mellon Foundation invites ideas for research and/or curricular projects focused on any of the three areas outlined below (See Mellon Call for Concepts website for details):
- Civic Engagement and Voting Rights
- Race and Racialization in the United States
- Social Justice and the Literary Imagination
The 2022 Call for Concepts is now open. This call is open to all accredited, non-profit, four-year degree-granting institutions in the US that offer liberal arts education. (Full eligibility criteria can be found in the Call for Concepts guidelines.) As always, Mellon seeks to support institutions with a demonstrated record of excellence in the humanities, and we particularly welcome concepts from institutions that are minority-serving (MSIs) and/or have not received Mellon funding in the last five years.
Institutions may submit up to three concepts total, with each submission consisting of an online application form and a project description of approximately 1,000 words. Envisioned projects should be achievable with contributions from Mellon of $250,000–$500,000, with durations of up to three years. We anticipate allocating up to $10 million for this call for concepts; the final number of proposals selected will depend on the number and substance of the submissions.
The Mellon Higher Learning team will review all submissions and invite a small number of the most promising ones to be developed into full proposals for potential grant funding. Full proposal invitations will be issued during the summer of 2022, and final grant recommendations will be presented for consideration by Mellon’s board of trustees at its December 2022 meeting, for a January 1, 2023 start date.
Complete guidelines for the preparation and submission of concepts can be found here. While Mellon will acknowledge and provide definitive answers on the outcome of all submissions, staffing limitations prevent us from offering feedback on those that are not selected for further consideration. Additional information about the Higher Learning program can be found on the program website.
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_Mellon_2022) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
1. Cover Letter (1 page, pdf):
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- PI name, departmental affiliations(s) and contact information
- Focus area of proposed activity
2. Project Concept (approximately 1,000 words)
3. CV for Principal Investigator
4. Budget estimate and brief budget description (100 word max)
Formatting Guidelines:
Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.
The Office of Foundation Relations is available to consult on proposal narrative elements and answer other foundation-related questions. Please contact Kate Totino, M.S., Associate Director, (kxf188@pu.edu) for additional support.