Program Officer for the Liberal Arts Colleges Program

Program Officer for the Liberal Arts Colleges Program, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
We are very fortunate, especially in these troubling times, to live in a country with a tradition of philanthropy which not to be found anywhere else in the world. Since we are all here tonight to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Humanity in Action, I suspect you would all agree that once in a while it is valuable and gratifying to preach to the choir, particularly here in St. Peter’s Church.
The Mellon Foundation is one of several funders who proudly support HIA, and while we all have our own special reasons for doing so, it is fair to say that philanthropic foundations need and want institutional partners who care as deeply about the public nature of their civic responsibility as they do about their own organizational selfinterest. What has impressed my colleagues the most about HIA is that the focus is always on the issues and challenges—not on the organization, except as it serves the larger purposes of finding creative solutions to address questions of immigration, minority rights and majority responsibilities.
From the Mellon Foundation’s earliest days its leaders have been unapologetic in their search for excellence. Under Bill Bowen’s and now Don Randel’s leadership, we try very hard to support the best ideas and the ablest organizations. We make grants to institutions and organizations, not directly to individuals—but we care immensely about the quality of the men and women who lead these organizations and we look carefully at the support provided by their boards of directors and trustees. Our passion is finding people with ideas who are bright, entrepreneurial, creative, and pragmatic.
In the foundation world, words like “impact,” “evaluation,” and “assessment“ are much discussed. But as our president, Don Randel, has observed, “impact is a function of the definition of the size of the pond as well as the size of the frog, and small ponds also deserve their day.” Most philanthropies, with the notable exception of the Gates Foundation, usually decide that affecting a number of small ponds is often better and wiser than affecting one big pond, and that lies at the core of Mellon’s grantmaking strategy and philosophy. In the occasionally inscrutable and Byzantine world of grantmaking, foundations are sometimes guilty of “overexpecting” and grantees are almost universally guilty of “over-promising.” Both parties almost always “over-claim” when it comes to evaluating the results of these partnerships. I am very pleased to say that HIA, under Judy’s leadership, is a notable exception. She neither over-promises nor over-claims but lets HIAʼs mission and accomplishments speak for themselves. She is also indefatigable, unremitting, and relentless in her efforts, and we admire that hallmark of her leadership which infuses HIA’s identity. One of my favorite books is Carl Sandburg’s long-forgotten autobiography, Always the Young Strangers; it was a particular favorite of a hero of mine, the late James Freedman, president of Dartmouth College. One of Sandburgʼs main themes is the renewal of society in every generation by the emergence of “young strangers”— young people who have the ability to lead their contemporaries to renew the values that sustain our culture. It struck me that in many fundamental ways, HIA fulfills this goal on a trans-national and trans-cultural basis. So, on behalf of all your funders, we wish HIA continued vitality and future success in preserving our liberal, democratic societies, and we look forward to celebrating your 20th anniversary with you.