The Library of Congress has announced a $15 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of efforts to connect with and preserve the cultures of communities of color.

The largest grant ever to the library from a private foundation will fund Of the People: Widening the Path, a multiyear initiative focused on creating opportunities for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other minority communities to contribute to a more inclusive American story. To that end, the initiative will support community-based documentarians working with the American Folklife Center to add new perspectives to the library's collections; fund paid internships and fellowships for students from minority-serving institutions (MSIs); and award grants to cultural heritage institutions, community colleges, and MSIs in support of digital engagement with LoC collections.

"The Mellon Foundation's generous grant will enhance the library's efforts to develop deeper and mutually empowering relationships with those who are too often left out of the American story," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "By inviting communities of color and other underrepresented groups to partner on a wider, more inclusive path for connection to the Library of Congress, we invest in an enduring legacy of the multifaceted American story that truly is 'Of the People.'"