Individual members of the Mellon family have created private foundations and donated to museums and protected areas.
[5] In 2001 the foundation donated two tracts of land, totaling 61,633 acres, to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) for the Maurepas Swamp WMA.
The foundation's website lists its principal funding areas as "arts and culture, environment and conservation, vocational education, and community development/beautification".
[8] In 2003, the Laurel Foundation allocated $750,000 to acquire a George Washington manuscript at auction as well as a set of orders signed by British Major-General Edward Braddock.
[16][17] The Allegheny Foundation was established by Richard Mellon Scaife as a grant-making organization for "historic preservation, civic development and education".
Its donations have gone to Point Park University for the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Saint Vincent College and the Extra Mile Education Foundation, among others.
[25] The Sarah Scaife Foundation funds politically conservative organizations and think tanks at the national and international level in areas such as economics and public policy.