Four scholarly presses have received a $1-million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish a collaborative publishing program dedicated to indigenous studies. Led by the University of Arizona Press, the project also includes the University of Minnesota Press, the University of North Carolina Press, and Oregon State University Press.

The million-dollar grant is the latest — and one of the largest — in a series of Mellon grants designed to support the publication of first books in what the foundation calls “underserved” areas of the humanities. Among the university-press collaborations already backed by Mellon are the American Literatures Initiative, a Slavic-studies series, a South Asian-studies series, and a series on ethnomusicology. Each involves a different consortium of presses with particular interest in that area.

In its press release announcing the indigenous-studies grant, the Arizona press said that the partners would use the money to pay for “all aspects of the publishing process from acquisitions to marketing.” Some of it will be used “to attract the foremost scholars in the field, assist them with research and travel, and craft manuscripts that will reach the broadest audience. The collaboration will also allow the four presses to significantly expand their marketing efforts to reach academic and indigenous communities worldwide.”

In an e-mail message to The Chronicle, Douglas Armato, director of the Minnesota press, described the growing reach and range of indigenous studies. “What really excites us is the emerging interest of Native American scholars to connect their field to the study of indigenous societies worldwide,” Mr. Armato wrote. “The Mellon funding gives us tools to help suppport that effort, including money for research grants and developmental budgets as well as marketing outreach.” He said that the press was especially interested in finding projects that “will extend and challenge our current understandings of colonialism, race, and bioethics.” —Jennifer Howard