Mellon Foundation grants CCNY $750,000 to expand scholars at risk program.
The City College of New York has been awarded a $750,000 three-year grant from Mellon Foundation. It brings together the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI), the Department of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Programs, the Moynihan Center, and the Foundation for City College as equal institutional partners in a collaborative initiative to renew and expand CCNY's fellowship program supporting scholars, writers, artists, and other intellectuals whose work has been affected by threats, harassment, marginalization, or restrictions on intellectual and creative freedom.
The new award builds on the success of the Mellon-funded Threatened Dominican Scholars Fellowship Program, established in 2023 at the CCNY-based CUNY DSI. It also marks a significant expansion of its geographic and institutional scope to include scholars from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
The successful implementation of the original grant demonstrated both the importance of protecting intellectual freedom and CCNY's capacity to provide a supportive academic environment for scholars facing professional and intellectual adversity. It also laid the groundwork for a broader institutional initiative that builds on the experience, resources, and academic strengths of multiple units within the College.
The renewed grant represents a collaborative undertaking among CUNY DSI, the Department of Anthropology, the Moynihan Center, and the Foundation for City College, bringing together their complementary academic expertise, institutional resources, and financial commitments. The Foundation for City College's financial commitment to the proposal played an important role in securing the Mellon grant. Together, these partners are building on the infrastructure and relationships established through the original fellowship to develop a sustainable initiative with a broader geographic reach.
Together, these institutional partners will strengthen CCNY's capacity to support scholars across Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean while advancing the College's commitment to academic freedom, intellectual exchange, and scholarly engagement.
CCNY President Vincent G. Boudreau applauded the Mellon Foundation’s commitment to preserving intellectual and creative freedom. “At a time when tolerance for opposing views and free expression seems at a low globally, Mellon’s dedication in supporting threatened scholars, writers, artists, and other thinkers is incredibly inspiring and commendable. They’ve set the bar high for other foundations.”
“Beyond expanding the geographic reach of the original Dominican fellowship, the renewed Mellon award represents an important step toward institutionalizing a sustainable Scholars at Risk initiative at The City College,” said Dee Dee Mozeleski, who also serves as Executive Director of the Foundation for City College. "We are committed to supporting precisely this kind of collaborative institutional initiative, one that builds on the College's academic strengths while creating lasting opportunities for scholars whose work deserves to be protected and encouraged.”
"We are profoundly grateful to the Mellon Foundation for recognizing the value of the work undertaken through the original fellowship at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and for supporting its expansion to Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean,” said Ramona Hernández, Director of the CUNY DSI. “Equally important, this renewal represents an extraordinary opportunity to build upon that successful experience through an institutional collaboration that brings together the intellectual resources, expertise, and shared commitment of CUNY DSI, the Department of Anthropology, and the Moynihan Center. It demonstrates what can be accomplished when academic units join forces around a common intellectual and social purpose."
Irina Carlota Silber, chair of the Department of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Programs, enthusiastically concurred. “This is a dream initiative and institutional collaboration that speaks to the critical importance of safeguarding knowledge production and creating dynamic academic communities. We are tremendously grateful to the Mellon Foundation and honored to be working in partnership with our colleagues. Building on departmental strengths, we are eager to welcome and host scholars at risk from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean in order to foster meaningful exchange and scholarly engagement to the benefit of all.”
“The Moynihan Center is thrilled to be part of this important initiative, which complements its broader work in providing a safe haven for scholars at risk from around the world, while also benefitting from their expertise and input into our academic community,” said Carlo Invernizzi Accetti, Executive Director of the Moynihan Center. “We very much look forward to welcoming the threatened scholars the program will allow us to host and integrating them into our academic activities.”
Building on the success of the original program, the expanded initiative will extend its support to a larger community of scholars confronting similar challenges, while strengthening CCNY's institutional commitment to protecting intellectual freedom.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 2.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.7 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. By May 2026, more than $500 million had been raised. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.