The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has announced grants totaling $10.15 million in support of arts and humanities organizations and initiatives in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Fiona—the most recent natural disaster to impact the archipelago’s most vulnerable communities. 

Disasters—from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 to the earthquakes of 2020, to the COVID-19 pandemic—along with austerity measures imposed by the fiscal control board made the impact of this latest storm even more devastating and the need for sustained partnerships rather than periodic responses even more urgent. In recent years, community-based organizations, including arts and cultural spaces, have self-organized to address the needs of their communities.

The latest recipients include Corredor Afro, Departamento de la Comida, Étnica, Filantropía Puerto Rico, Fiona Community Response Fund, Flamboyan Arts Fund, and Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico. In addition, Mellon has pledged a second round of recovery funding totaling more than $3 million and more than $9 million in additional support for institutions such as the University of Puerto Rico, Centro de Economía Creativa, El Ancón de LoÍza for their cultural and educational work.

“In moments of crisis such as this, the devastating impacts of structural and environmental racism are undeniable—from the omission of Loíza and other hard-hit municipalities from the government’s original emergency declaration, to a lack of Spanish-speaking FEMA personnel, and technological and other barriers to accessing federal sources of relief,” said Gloriann Sacha Antonetty Lebrón, founder and director of étnica—a Puerto Rico-based magazine and multimedia platform that amplifies the voices of Afrodescendant communities. “In the face of so much loss and despair, our actions of mutual support, solidarity, and partnership are a balm for us and for our communities. We do this work to honor our ancestral legacies as descendants of Africans and Indigenous people.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Christian Ouellet)