Mellon Foundation

10/11/2026

The Burlington Public Library will soon take on a new climate initiative.

Supported by the Mellon Foundation, this pilot program will focus on climate action and community resistance.

The Burlington Public Library (BPL) is one of 40 libraries nationwide and nine in Iowa selected to participate in a pilot program focused on climate action and community resilience.

10/09/2026

The Mellon Foundation awards $5M to HathiTrust to develop an AI-powered tool to improve discovery across its collection of over 19 million books.

“This project continues that longstanding effort to collaboratively make the scholarly record more accessible and usable for today and into the future,” says Mike Furlough, Executive Director of HathiTrust.

Project will explore responsible, equitable and transparent uses of artificial intelligence in large-scale digital collections

10/08/2026

Preserving the history of one of the first high schools to educate formerly enslaved people.

The Christiansburg Industrial Institute, founded in 1866 and later supervised by educator and advocate Booker T. Washington, was the first secondary school in Southwest Virginia to educate formerly enslaved people.

Today, its legacy endures because of the people who stepped forward to preserve it.

“The archives took shape informally in the late 1970s, when alumni began gathering records from their alma mater,” explains Chris Sanchez, executive director of Christiansburg Institute, Inc.

The organization preserves the school’s history while also documenting the broader African American experience in Southwest Virginia.

Today, the institute's Museum and Archives houses thousands of materials—uniforms, yearbooks, report cards, class photographs, school newspapers, and diplomas—spanning from 1854 to 2012.

The archives situate the experiences of CII students within the larger history of African Americans throughout rural Appalachia, tracing narratives from emancipation through the Civil Rights era.

Digital projects such as historical tours and online exhibits draw on archival materials to illuminate periods of slavery, racial segregation, and educational resistance.

📷 courtesy of the Christiansburg Institute Museum and Archives

10/06/2026

So, what are community-based archives anyway?

Samip Mallick, executive director of the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) in Philadelphia, breaks it down.

10/05/2026

In Detroit, Michigan, a legendary jazz venue begins a major restoration project.

Supported by a $1.9 million grant from Mellon, the historic Blue Bird Inn will become a live music venue, community space, and archive for Detroit's music history.

Blue Bird Inn is being restored as a community venue with live music, events and a Detroit music archive preserving the city's musical legacy.

10/04/2026

In New York City, a new art installation is unveiled at Astoria Houses.

Supported by Mellon, “Revolving Voices,” is a series of sculptures highlighting stories from local residents.

Tamra Cosby, 28, said it was "very humbling" to hear her Astoria Houses neighbors—some of whom she’s known for over a decade—speak candidly about personal doubts and worries. Her new sculptures have fellow residents' words etched into

10/01/2026

Community-based archives keep history in the hands of the people.

What is kept—and what may be lost—shapes how we understand the past, present, and future.

That’s why these archives lead the charge.

Community-based archives are independent organizations that collect and care for the objects and stories of their local communities. They operate outside the walls of larger institutions where archives are often kept, such as libraries, colleges, or universities.

Since 2020, the Mellon Foundation has awarded more than $40 million to over 100 community-based archives nationwide, helping strengthen infrastructure, expand access, and support community-led stewardship.

Across the U.S., people are taking preservation into their own hands.

📖 Explore their stories at on.mellon.org/46URTN5

10/01/2026

📣 NEW REPORT: Community-Based Archives

Though community-based archives have had a long-standing presence in the U.S., there has been limited data about the field—from its characteristics to its evolving needs.

To address this gap, Mellon Foundation partnered with Engage R+D and a “Design Circle” of archival practitioners and field experts to conduct a comprehensive landscape study.

The Mellon Foundation released “Powerful but Precarious: Mapping the Landscape of Community-Based Archives,” the first national study of its kind.

09/30/2026

📣 This week, Mellon released a new nationwide report on community-based archives.

Community-based archives are independent organizations that collect and care for the objects and stories of their local communities.

They preserve pieces of history that might otherwise go unsaved.

From tribal nations to neighborhood museums, these archives are rooted in the lives, people, and experiences of their locality.

Though community-based archives have had a long-standing presence in the U.S., there has been limited data about the field—from its characteristics to its evolving needs.

To address this gap, Mellon Foundation partnered with Engage R+D and a “Design Circle” of archival practitioners and field experts to conduct a comprehensive landscape study.

The report provides insight into:

• How these archives are defined across geography, focus areas, and governance models
• How community-based archives engage and serve their communities
• How funding sources for these archives are shifting over time
• What resources are needed to support long-term security and sustainability
• What structural barriers community-based archives face

09/28/2026

Mildred Thompson (1936-2003), a pioneer of American abstractionism, built a home with her life partner Donna Jackson (1937-2022) in Atlanta, Georgia.

For decades, the couple opened their doors to creatives of all kinds.

Nicknamed “The Jean,” both Jackson and Thompson’s middle name, the house welcomed world-renowned artists such as Camille Billops, Joe Overstreet, Howardena Pindell, and Adrian Piper for lively discussions with students and neighbors.

The house was bequeathed to Melissa Messina, Thompson’s student and mentee, who stewarded the home through renovation and reopening.

Today, The Jean is once again a space for connection and artistry.

A residency program invites artists and curators to live and work in the historic home, alongside Thompson’s art, sketchbooks, photography, and writings. Since the home’s completed restoration in 2023, the program has welcomed more than 35 residents and several hundred visitors through public events.

“By bringing creatives and scholars to Mildred Thompson’s home and studio... I am continuing what she taught me: to remain curious, to explore, to make connections, and to create space for others to do the same,” says Messina, who leads the Mildred Thompson Legacy Project.

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1. Mildred Thompson and Donna Jackson at Thompson’s studio in Atlanta in the mid 1990s, courtesy of Mildred Thompson Legacy Project.
2-4. Exterior of Mildred Thompson’s house and Residency Program, by Royce Soble
3. Interior of Mildred Thompson’s house, by Amanda Greene