President Biden awarded the National Humanities Medal to the Mellon Foundation.
The Mellon Foundation, which is a private nonprofit organization that supports the arts and humanities through grant, received the award on Nov. 4 on recommendation from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
“As we celebrate this distinction, it bears mentioning that the NEH was founded nearly 60 years ago, in the same decade as the Mellon Foundation: a time of profound societal upheaval and the determined fight for social justice; a time in many ways not unlike our own,” Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement. “It is no coincidence that an outcome of that era was the establishment of two institutions that have so proudly and undauntedly championed the humanities in our ever-evolving democracy, and that are now even more closely linked with this honor.”
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The National Humanities Medal was created in 1997 to honor individuals and organizations whose work strengthens the country’s understanding of the humanities as well as increased engagement in humanities-based disciplines. The award is considered to be the greatest honor in the country for those involved in humanities-based scholarship, education and creative work.
The National Humanities Medal honors the collective work of grantees that make up the Mellon community, according to a press release. This marks the first time the Mellon Foundation is being honored with this award.
A recording of the Nov. 4 ceremony is available on The White House YouTube page. For more information, visit mellon.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
