The Mellon Foundation Invests in Puerto Rico’s Living History

Para la Naturaleza (PLN) has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation in support of its Para la Historia program. This initiative advances restorative history efforts that protect Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage and foster an ecological culture grounded in equity and sustainability. 

Through Para la Historia, PLN will integrate inclusive historical narratives and restorative justice into its conservation framework—amplifying the voices and experiences of African-descendant, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. 

The grant will support the creation of a Culture and Restorative History Policy, the formation of advisory and consultant committees, and the expansion of regional research and public history programming. Together, these efforts will ensure that Puerto Rico’s conservation work remains participatory, community-driven, and deeply connected to the stories and landscapes that shape its identity. 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty and empowerment that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.  Learn more at mellon.org.