WOPHA Receives Foundational Grant from Mellon Foundation to Support Operations Over the Next Two Years

WOPHA / 07.24.2025

(MIAMI, July 24, 2025) — Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) is proud to announce it has received a $150,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to support its operations over the next two years. This foundational funding will strengthen WOPHA’s core infrastructure and sustain its team, enabling the organization to further its mission and expand its programming.

“We are deeply honored to receive this generous support from the Mellon Foundation, which reaffirms the urgency and significance of our mission,” said Aldeide Delgado, WOPHA Founder and Director. “This grant fortifies our organization and ensures we can continue building a global network committed to rewriting the history of photography from an inclusive lens. We are laying the groundwork for a thriving cultural institution that uplifts women and non-binary photographers while securing a dedicated space for photographic arts in Miami for generations to come.”

The Mellon Foundation’s investment directly supports the stability of WOPHA’s core team, three individuals whose leadership and dedication are central to the organization’s mission and vision:

• Aldeide Delgado, Co-founder, Director, and Curator, founded WOPHA in 2018 as an extension of her curatorial research on Cuban women photographers. Under her vision and leadership, WOPHA has evolved into a critical international platform that supports, promotes, and documents the work of women and non-binary photographers.
• Francisco Masó, Co-founder and Creative Director, has been instrumental in shaping WOPHA since its inception. His leadership ensures that WOPHA’s mission is reflected in every aspect of its public presence and visual universe. Working in close collaboration with Delgado, Maso plays a key role in WOPHA’s continued success and creative direction.
• Amanda Bradley, Associate Curator of Programming, was the first team member to join WOPHA in 2020, beginning as a volunteer with a passion for building community around photography in Miami. Over the years, her dedication has earned her a key role managing the organization’s artist- and community-centered initiatives. Her curatorial voice reflects WOPHA’s deep connection to both Miami and the Caribbean.

WOPHA stands at a pivotal moment in its evolution. Since its founding as a nomadic initiative in 2018, the organization has grown into a dynamic force in the international photography landscape—collaborating with 20 presenting partners, hosting more than 50 public programs, and engaging 42 international photography organizations, 80 art historians and curators, and over 150 artists. With this vital support, WOPHA is poised to enter a new chapter of institutional stability, expanding its reach and deepening its connection to the communities it serves.

About WOPHA Team

Aldeide Delgado is a Latinx art historian and curator, founder and director of Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA). She brings extensive experience in writing, curating, and presenting on photography at prominent institutions. She is a recipient of the Ellies Creator Award (2023), Knight Arts Challenge award (2019), the School of Art Criticism Fellowship by SAPS La Tallera (2018), and the Research and Production of Critic Essay Fellowship by TEOR/éTica (2017). Delgado is the visionary behind the WOPHA Congress, the world’s first triennial international convening bringing together photographers, curators, and scholars to explore feminist and decolonial perspectives in photography. She is the author of Becoming Sisters: Women Photography Collectives & Organizations (2021).

Francisco Masó is a conceptual artist and the co-founder and creative director of WOPHA. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Stage Design from the Instituto Superior de Arte, and is a graduate of both the Cátedra Arte de Conducta and the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro. He is an Artist in Residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (2024). His recent accolades include the DV—AIRIE Award (2022), the Oolite Arts’ Home + Away residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (2020), Anderson Ranch Arts Center (2022), and the Hayama Artist Residency in Japan (2022). He is an Ellies Creator Award winner by Oolite Arts (2022, 2020), a South Florida Cultural Consortium grant recipient (2021), and an AIRIE fellow (2022).

Amanda Bradley is a Belizean-American artist, curator, and arts professional. She received a BFA in Photography from New World School of the Arts. Her work explores place and landscape as a means to connect and understand identity, belonging, histories, and relationships. Photographs are central to the work, which sometimes expands to include installation, video, and other alternative forms of printing and photographic processes. Her work has been included in both solo and group exhibitions internationally. Bradley is a recipient of the Catalyst Award from Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (2024) and a two-time Suncoast Regional Emmy award-winning producer. She has worked at several art organizations including WOPHA, Forgotten Lands, Oolite Arts, Bakehouse Art Complex, and Peréz Art Museum Miami.

About WOPHA

Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to research, promote, support, and educate on the contributions of women and non-binary photographers to modern and contemporary art in order to rewrite the artistic canon and provoke social change. WOPHA fosters a more diverse and equitable world by providing a permanent archive for future generations that preserves, documents, and promotes women photographers’ work while being a driving force for innovative thinking and discussion about the role of women in photographic arts.

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