The College of William & Mary and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation founded the Institute of Early American History and Culture in 1943 and still jointly sponsor its work. In 1996 the College and Colonial Williamsburg added Omohundro to the Institute's name in recognition of a generous endowment bequest pledged by Mr. and Mrs. Malvern H. Omohundro, Jr. The Institute also receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a two-year Institute/NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship, awarded annually. A grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has made it possible for the Institute to offer a one-year Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, beginning in the fall of 1997.