LP profile

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Foundation · Founded 1969 · New York City, United States

#15 LP Ranking #2 of 714 foundations

Grantmaking foundation for arts, humanities, and social justice

Website ↗LinkedIn ↗X / Twitter ↗

115 VC firms backed

$9.7B AUM

~$485M Allocated to VC (est. 5%)

01 · Background

Who Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is.

Historical Background: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation was established in 1969 through the consolidation of the Avalon Foundation and the Old Dominion Foundation. The two original foundations were created in 1940 and 1941, respectively, by Ailsa Mellon Bruce and Paul Mellon, the children of Andrew W. Mellon, in whose honor the current foundation is named.
Source of Capital: The foundation's capital originates from the wealth of Andrew W. Mellon, an American industrialist, banker, and philanthropist. It operates as a private foundation, managing a substantial endowment to fund its grantmaking activities.
Major Events: In 2020, the foundation announced a new strategic direction, committing to prioritize social justice in all of its grantmaking. As part of its new focus, the foundation ended its longstanding graduate education program and shifted funding to initiatives that address racial inequality.
Allocation Strategy: The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated in the arts and humanities, including higher learning, museums, and conservation. It directs its resources across several core program areas: Arts and Culture, Humanities in Place, Public Knowledge, and Higher Learning. The foundation's current strategy emphasizes funding projects and institutions that support social justice and equity.

Sources

02 · Fund commitments

The funds Andrew W. Mellon Foundation backs.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a limited partner in 115 funds. 25 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.

Bain Capital Ventures

Matrix Partners China

Abingworth

United Kingdom

Adelis Equity Partners

Sweden

Arle Capital Partners

United Kingdom

Audax Private Equity

United Kingdom

BC Partners

United Kingdom

Bridgepoint

United Kingdom

Candover Partners

United Kingdom

EQT Group

Sweden

Europa Capital

United Kingdom

Hellman & Friedman

United Kingdom

HSG

China

Inflexion

United Kingdom

Insignia Ventures

Singapore

Redpoint China Ventures

China

Sustainable Development Investments

03 · Allocation

How Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s fund book is spread.

The 115 funds Andrew W. Mellon Foundation backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.

Where those managers are based

By fund headquarters, across the 114 of 115 with a location on record.

North America 9281%
Europe 1513%
Rest of world 76%

United States 91 · United Kingdom 11 · China 3 · India 2

How established those managers are

Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 80 of 115 with a fund history on record.

Emerging funds · 28

Established funds · 52

15 1

8 2

5 3

10 4

14 5-6

13 7-9

7 10-14

8 15+

Funds raised by the manager

04 · Direct investments

The companies Andrew W. Mellon Foundation backs directly.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation holds 20 companies directly, separate from the funds it commits to as a limited partner. Broken down by headquarters country, sector, entry stage and current growth stage.

By countryCount

USA20

By sectorCount

Education10
Music2
Event Tech1
Health1
Kids1
Legal1
Robotics1

By growth stageCount

Mature9
Early Growth6
Breakout Stage2
Late Growth1

05 · Portfolio market map

Inside Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s portfolio.

The 20 highest-funded portfolio companies, of 20 tracked.

EarLens

Health

$75M

International African American Museum(IAAM)

Education

NU IDEA

Education

Library of Congress

Education

James R Peterson newport news

Education

American Council of Learned Societies

Education

WYSO

Music

Academy of American Poets

Education

Hypothes.is

Education

Modern Language Association

Education

McNay Art Museum

Event Tech

Cincinnati Opera

Music

Muddy Waters MOJO Museum

USA

Unlocked Labs

Robotics

Central Arkansas Library System

Legal

Createquity

USA

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison

USA

Operation Restoration

Education

Alliance for Higher Education in Prison

USA

Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network

Education

06 · Other LPs

Other LPs.

Other foundations in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to Andrew W. Mellon Foundation by combined power-law score — North America first, then the nearest worldwide.

🇺🇸

The Rockefeller Foundation

LP rank #10 · United States

$6.0B AUM 87 VC funds backed

🇺🇸

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

LP rank #22 · United States

$14B AUM 97 VC funds backed

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MacArthur Foundation

LP rank #24 · United States

$8.2B AUM 126 VC funds backed