The Mellon Foundation has launched the Frontera Culture Fund, a $25 million initiative aimed at supporting artistic creativity and cultural heritage in the vast border region between the United States and Mexico, as well as in the tribal communities within the area.
This region, which extends approximately 2,000 miles from east to west, includes four U.S. states and six Mexican states, and is home to twenty-six federally recognized tribal nations and numerous unrecognized indigenous communities. Despite its enormous cultural and artistic wealth, the region is often portrayed negatively, tied to immigration issues and conflicts.
The Frontera Culture Fund aims to enhance and amplify the voices of local artists and cultural leaders, highlighting the beauty, creativity, and diversity of the borderlands. The program seeks to promote a more authentic and nuanced representation of the area and to invest in cross-border collaborations, as well as to support artistic expression with an inclusive approach. Developed in collaboration with local artists and cultural leaders, the fund will provide flexible funding for artistic projects and community groups in both countries, in addition to supporting indigenous networks that facilitate knowledge exchange.
Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Mellon Foundation, emphasized that the borderlands are a melting pot of creative cultures and traditions and therefore must be safeguarded.
The first selection of beneficiaries from the Frontera Culture Fund includes organizations and initiatives that connect art to critical issues such as racial justice, the rights of migrants and refugees, indigenous cultural sovereignty, and LGBTQ+ rights. Among the included groups are the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center in San Diego, the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, and Azul Arena in Ciudad Juárez.
