The HeritEdge Connection Inc. (hence, HE) is pleased to announce that it has received a significant general operating grant from the Mellon Foundation, marking the beginning of a major capacity-building period. This support recognizes HE’s potential to become a regional leader in facilitating the preservation and accessibility of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Caribbean through collaborations and partnerships with regional stakeholders and other organizations.
Caribbean cultural memory faces long-standing and ongoing threats—from the erasure of ancestral histories during slavery and colonialism to present-day challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, and limited institutional resources. While major cultural heritage institutions have formal systems for documentation and protection of their collections, and preparedness against disasters, many smaller community organizations lack the funding, training, and infrastructure needed to safeguard their collections. Yet these community archives—rich with oral histories, folk traditions, performance practices, and other forms of intangible heritage—offer essential insight into Caribbean identity and history. This grant will allow HE to build its capacity and position it to be able to support these vulnerable partners more effectively in the long term.