The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has announced a $1.5 million gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of an initiative to preserve community stories and records.

Through the initiative, NFF will bolster community organizations that are using audio and audio-visual modalities to preserve and elevate underrepresented stories, including the experiences of communities of color, rural communities, and communities with low incomes. NFF is assembling an advisory board and designing the cohort application process for the initiative, which will provide access to financial experts, peer learning opportunities, analysis of operations and opportunities, and direct financial support. In 2022-23, the Mellon Foundation funded NFF’s cohort of digital humanities nonprofits.

“When we can access diverse stories, histories, and perspectives, we can better understand the challenges and opportunities of our time,” said NFF president and CEO Aisha Benson. “Creating audio-visual records and amplifying voices that too often go unheard is crucial to building just and equitable communities, and we need to support the organizations doing this work.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Arturo Peña Romano Medina)