The Mellon Foundation has unveiled the Frontera Culture Fund, a groundbreaking $25 million initiative dedicated to supporting artists, cultural leaders, and tribal communities across the U.S./Mexico borderlands. This region, stretching nearly 2,000 miles across four U.S. states and six Mexican states, is home to abundant cultures and artistic traditions. Yet, according to Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation, the borderlands remain “minimally funded by arts philanthropies in the United States.”

Through the Frontera Culture Fund, the Mellon Foundation aims to address this disparity by providing long-term support to the artists, culture-builders, and stewards of creative expression across these communities. “Our support will help amplify and sustain the profoundly varied arts and histories taking place in the borderlands,” said Alexander in the foundation’s press release.

The Frontera Culture Fund was crafted in close collaboration with artists and cultural leaders from the region. This vast area is not only home to millions but also includes 26 federally recognized tribal nations and numerous unrecognized Indigenous communities. At least seven Indigenous homelands are bisected by the U.S.-Mexico border, further underscoring the region’s complex cultural and historical landscape.

Among the inaugural grantees are seven organizations that exemplify how art can address pressing social issues such as racial and climate justice, migrant and refugee rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, Indigenous cultural sovereignty, public memory, and community health. These organizations reflect the depth of the region’s artistic and cultural production.

One of the grantees is the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, a federally unrecognized nation. With Mellon’s support, they will establish a Community Land Trust to protect ancestral lands along the Rio Grande and create the Eso’k Gna Education Center, which will serve as a hub for cultural preservation and environmental education. Another recipient, Azul Arena, a gallery and project space in Ciudad Juárez, will use the funding to expand its artistic programming, enhance binational collaborations, and document artistic production in the region.

Edgar Picazo Merino, Creative Director of Azul Arena, emphasized the significance of the Mellon Foundation’s support for artists in the Ciudad Juárez-El Paso area. “For years, the creative production in this region has suffered underfunding and neglect. The support provided by the Mellon Foundation has allowed us to set the foundation for a stronger, dignified creative infrastructure as we continue to produce art for positive social change.”

Meet the Inaugural Grantees of the Frontera Culture Fund

1. Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (San Diego, California): Located in Barrio Logan, San Diego’s oldest Mexican American neighborhood, this center preserves and interprets the history of Chicano Park and the borderlands. Mellon funding will support the conservation, cataloging, and digitization of key archives documenting Chicanx art and activism.
2. Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. (Floresville, Texas): Despite lacking federal recognition, the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation is a powerful cultural and political force in the region. With Mellon’s support, the nation will protect 170 acres of ancestral land through a Community Land Trust and will develop an education center to preserve its cultural heritage.
3. Fandango Fronterizo (Tijuana, Baja California): This annual event celebrates poetry, dance, and music at the Tijuana-San Diego border. Mellon funding will enhance the organization’s capacity and provide support for the preservation of son jarocho traditions.
4. Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras (Tucson, Arizona): The Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras connects Indigenous organizations and communities divided by the border. Mellon funding will strengthen its cultural programs and organizational sustainability, supporting memory projects and Indigenous healing practices.
5. La Semilla Food Center (Anthony, New Mexico): Focused on food sovereignty and agroecology, La Semilla operates a community farm and leads arts and culture initiatives in the Chihuahuan Desert. With Mellon’s support, the organization will develop new narratives, story-mapping projects, and the Chihuahuan Desert Cultural Fellowship.
6. Haitian Bridge Alliance (San Diego, California): Advocating for Black migrants and asylum seekers, the Haitian Bridge Alliance will expand its artistic partnerships and storytelling initiatives to amplify the voices of those impacted by inhumane immigration policies.
7. Azul Arena (Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua): This gallery and project space near the U.S.-Mexico border fosters collaboration among artists, curators, and academics. With Mellon funding, Azul Arena will grow its artistic programming and preserve contemporary narratives of the Chihuahuan region.

Through these grants, the Mellon Foundation’s Frontera Culture Fund seeks to empower communities that have long been underfunded, amplifying their voices and ensuring that the rich cultural heritage of the borderlands is preserved and celebrated for generations to come.