The Mellon Foundation aims to support and enrich the humanities and the arts, with a special focus on higher education and scholarship, by funding various programs that enhance the quality of education and the diversity of voices within academia. It seeks to ensure that a wide range of perspectives, especially those historically underrepresented, are included and valued in academic discourse and research.
The Fellowship program offered by Citizens & Scholars, specifically the WW Dissertation Fellowship in Women's Studies, supports late-stage Ph.D. candidates who are completing dissertations that offer original, interesting, and interdisciplinary insights on women and gender. These fellowships are dedicated to doctoral candidates at U.S. institutions who demonstrate a compelling and thorough description of their work, coupled with an enduring interest in and commitment to women’s issues and scholarship on women and gender. The program encourages the creation of knowledge that shapes the understanding of women and gender in various domains such as history, society, and politics. A crucial aspect of the fellowship includes the support it provides for doctoral dissertations that are original and significant in the interdisciplinary field of women's and gender studies, with an emphasis on the importance of dissertation support for the emergence of new scholars. Since its inception, the fellowship has supported 600 scholars, embodying a legacy of nurturing scholars who, in turn, contribute to their academic circles by advising new generations of fellows and promoting wider perspectives on gender in society.