The Clemente Course has been awarded a major grant from the Mellon Foundation to support our work in bringing humanities education to underserved communities. 

This 3-year, $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation is by far the largest in our organization’s history.  This transformative opportunity could not have come at a more crucial moment.  Clemente serves some of the most vulnerable populations in the country–including veterans, unhoused people, justice-impacted individuals, and single mothers. Our work to support and empower these scholars through the humanities is more important than ever.

This grant enables capacity-building at multiple levels. We are excited to tell you more as we roll out new initiatives, but here are some developments to look for on the horizon:

●     New courses: we will launch 3 new Clemente Courses with partner organizations around the U.S.

●     Access initiatives:  direct financial support to keep our 30 existing Clemente Courses thriving through increased recruitment and retention.

●     Faculty professional development: Clemente faculty are some of the hardest working professionals in higher education and we are excited to offer increased opportunities for them to undertake further training and share their expertise.

●     Impact research:  generate fresh data about the impact Clemente has on our students’ lives, positioning Clemente as a thought-leader in public humanities.

●     Expanded team:  a new Outreach Manager will help us reach out across our network, especially to alumni, for whom the Outreach Manager will design a new online course focused on taking the next steps after Clemente.

●     Public Humanities Award:  At an annual celebration, we will celebrate the leaders in the public humanities who inspire our work. Nominations welcome!

We couldn’t be more excited to take the next step in our evolution as an organization, nearly thirty years after our founding. Your support has enabled us to reach this stage, ready to seize upon the transformative support of the Mellon Foundation.

Going forward, your support is just as crucial to Clemente. While our new grant will help us grow in exciting ways, it is your continued generosity that helps us meet our core operating expenses. Moreover, in a time of exceptional need for individual Clemente students, your gifts allow us to offer emergency support that enables students to continue their education.

We are thrilled to share this journey with you!

Warmly,

Aaron Rosen, PhD

Executive Director

The Clemente Course in the Humanities