Misplaced Pages

MacArthur Foundation: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 19:45, 12 June 2015 editSafehaven86 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users21,260 editsm →Personnel← Previous edit Latest revision as of 16:48, 9 October 2024 edit undoAmigao (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users72,298 edits nonprofit explorerTag: Visual edit 
(277 intermediate revisions by 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American private foundation}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox organization {{Infobox organization
| logo = MacArth primary logo stacked.svg
| name =John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
| logo = ] | logo_size = 220px
| leader_title = President
| type =
| leader_name = ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macfound.org/about/people/john-palfrey|title = President - MacArthur Foundation}}</ref>
| founded_date = 1978<ref>{{cite book|last1=Holcombe|first1=Randall|title=Writing Off Ideas: Taxation, Foundations, and Philanthropy in America|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=9781412841863|page=41|accessdate=3 June 2015}}</ref>
| key_people = ] (co-founder) <br /> ] (co-founder)
| founder = | subsidiaries =
| location = ], ], ]
| origins = | footnotes =
| key_people = ] (co-founder) <br> ] (co-founder) | name = The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
| founded_date = {{start date and age|1970}}<ref name="AboutOurHistory">{{Cite web |url=http://www.macfound.org/about/our-history/ |title=MacArthur Foundation: Our History |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nicas |first=Jack |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903374004576580873957522748 |title=The New Class of 'Geniuses' |date=September 20, 2011 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref>
| area_served =
| product = | founder =
| focus = ], ], the ]s | location = ], Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| method = | origins =
| revenue = | area_served =
| endowment = $6.32 billion (2013) | product =
| focus = Climate change, nuclear challenges, non-profit journalism, local issues in Chicago
| num_volunteers =
| num_employees = | method =
| num_members = | revenue =
| subsib = | endowment = $8&nbsp;billion (2022)<ref>{{Official URL}}</ref>
| owner = | num_volunteers =
| num_employees =
| Non-profit_slogan =
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.macarthur.org}} | num_members =
| dissolved = | owner =
| footnotes = | homepage = {{Official URL}}
| dissolved =
| type = ]
| tax_id = 23-7093598
}} }}
The '''John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation''' is the 10th largest ] in the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 U.S. Foundations by Asset Size|url=http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/topfunders/top100assets.html|publisher=Foundation Center|accessdate=3 June 2015}}</ref> Its grant-making primarily supports ] causes.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goodman|first1=Walter|title=Making the Case for PBS (And It's Not So Easy)|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/arts/television-view-making-the-case-for-pbs-and-it-s-not-so-easy.html|accessdate=3 June 2015|publisher=New York Times|date=December 5, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Piereson|first1=James|title=Investing in the Right Ideas|url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122701981738637243|accessdate=3 June 2015|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=May 27, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Calfas|first1=Jennifer|title=Americans pessimistic about ability for economic mobility, study finds|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/09/macarthur-study-housing-matters-economic-mobility/28750483/|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=USA Today|date=June 9, 2015}}</ref> Based in ], the Foundation supports ]s in approximately 50 countries.<ref name=inside>{{cite news|title=MacArthur Foundation: Chicago Grants|url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-in-chicago/macarthur-foundation-chicago-grants.html|accessdate=3 June 2015|publisher=Inside Philanthropy}}</ref> MacArthur has awarded more than US$5.5 billion since its inception in 1978. With an endowment of $6.32 billion, the foundation provides approximately $225&nbsp;million annually in grants.<ref name=inside/>


The '''John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation''' is a ] that makes grants and ]s to support ]s in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6&nbsp;billion and provides approximately $260&nbsp;million annually in grants and impact investments.<ref>$7.6 billion Net Assets</ref><ref name="inside">{{Cite news |url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/fundraising-in-chicago/macarthur-foundation-chicago-grants.html |title=MacArthur Foundation: Chicago Grants |work=Inside Philanthropy |access-date=June 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.macfound.org/about/financials/ |title=Program Budgets |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref> It is based in ], and in 2014 it was the 12th-largest private foundation in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://data.foundationcenter.org/#/foundations/all/nationwide/top:assets/list/2014 |title=Top 100 U.S. Foundations by Asset Size |publisher=Foundation Center |access-date=June 3, 2015}}</ref> It has awarded more than US$8.27&nbsp;billion since its first grants in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Financials - MacArthur Foundation |url=https://www.macfound.org/about/financials/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=www.macfound.org}}</ref>
In addition to selecting the ], also known as "genius grants," the foundation awards grants in funding areas including arts and culture, community and economic development, digital media and learning, housing, and juvenile justice.<ref name=inside/>

The foundation's stated purpose is to support "creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world".<ref name=inside/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.macarthur.org/about/ |title=About Us |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=June 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630203131/http://www.macarthur.org/about/ |archive-date=June 30, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> MacArthur's grant-making priorities include mitigating ], reducing jail populations, decreasing nuclear threats, supporting nonprofit journalism, and funding local needs in its hometown of Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Daniels |first=Alex |url=https://philanthropy.com/article/Q-A-Inside-MacArthur-s/234874 |title=Inside MacArthur's Rapid Strategic Shift to 'Big Bets' |date=January 11, 2016 |work=The Chronicle of Philanthropy |access-date=June 23, 2016}}</ref> According to the ], the foundation's financing for 2019 development increased by 27% to US$109&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/2dcf1367-en/1/3/3/18/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/2dcf1367-en&_csp_=177392f5df53d89c9678d0628e39a2c2&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book |title=Development Co-operation Profiles – John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation |website=OECD iLibrary |date= |access-date= }}</ref>
The ], commonly referred to as the "genius" award,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Montevideo |first=Mickey Y. |date=2011-10-03 |title=Alumna receives MacArthur Foundation's 'genius award' |url=https://news.uga.edu/macarthur-foundations-genius-award/ |access-date=2020-06-25 |website=UGA Today |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Efn|The MacArthur Foundation does not use the term "genius" to describe its fellows and has asked the media to stop using it.<ref>{{cite web |title=MacArthur Fellows Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows-faq |website=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=16 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Conrad |first1=Cecilia A. |author1-link=Cecilia Conrad |title=Five Myths About the MacArthur 'Genius Grants' |url=https://www.macfound.org/press/commentary/five-myths-about-macarthur-genius-grants |website=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=16 October 2023 |date=20 September 2013}}</ref><ref name=Collins>{{cite news |author1=Jim Collins |author1-link=James Collins (bioengineer) |title=It isn't easy being a genius |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/19/opinion/it-isnt-easy-being-a-genius.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=] |date=19 September 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418105755/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/19/opinion/19collins.html |archive-date=18 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Viet Thanh Nguyen |author1-link=Viet Thanh Nguyen |title=Don't call me a genius |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/opinion/sunday/dont-call-me-a-genius.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=] |date=14 April 2018}}</ref>}} annually gives $800,000 no-strings-attached grants to around two dozen creative individuals in diverse fields<ref name="myths">{{Cite news |last=Conrad |first=Cecilia |date=September 20, 2013 |title=Five Myths about the MacArthur 'Genius Grants' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-macarthur-genius-grants/2013/09/20/833963b8-213f-11e3-b73c-aab60bf735d0_story.html |access-date=June 23, 2016}}</ref> "who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits".<ref name=":0" /> The foundation's ''100&Change'' competition awards a $100&nbsp;million grant every three years to a single proposal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=100&Change |url=https://www.100andchange.org/ |access-date=2020-11-19 |website=100&Change |language=en}}</ref>


==History== ==History==
] owned ] and other businesses, as well as considerable property in ] and ]. His wife, ], held positions in many of these companies. The MacArthurs' attorney, ], along with Paul Doolen, the MacArthurs' CFO, suggested that the family create a foundation to be endowed by their vast fortune. ] owned ] and other businesses, as well as considerable property holdings in Florida and New York. His wife, ], held positions in many of these companies. Their attorney, ], and Paul Doolen, their chief financial officer, suggested that the family create a foundation to be endowed by their vast fortune.


When John died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of $1&nbsp;billion and was reportedly one of the three richest men in the United States. MacArthur left 92 percent of his estate to begin the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The composition of the Foundation’s first Board of Directors, per MacArthur’s will, also included Catherine, ] (a son from John's first marriage), two other officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and radio commentator ]. When MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of a billion dollars. He left 92 percent of his estate to found the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Its first board of directors, per MacArthur's will, also included ], John's son from his first marriage, two other officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and radio commentator ].<ref name=AboutOurHistory/> ], the inventor of the polio vaccine, later joined the board of directors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sherrow |first=Victoria |title=Jonas Salk |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=9781438104119 |edition=Revised |page=99 <!-- |access-date=September 1, 2016-->}}</ref>


The elder MacArthur believed in the free market.<ref name="chronicle">{{Cite news |last=Husock |first=Howard |url=https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Opinion-Trust-Chan-and/234491 |title=Trust Chan and Zuckerberg to Decide How to Spend Their Money for the Public Good |date=December 4, 2015 |work=The Chronicle of Philanthropy |access-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hauer |first=Peter W. |title=The Big Picture: The Past, The Present, & Your Children's Future |date=2011 |publisher=Author House |isbn=9781420815351 |page=355}}</ref> However, he did not direct how foundation money was to be spent after he died. MacArthur told the board of directors, "I figured out how to make the money. You fellows will have to figure out how to spend it."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Frantz |first=Douglas |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/07/07/charitable-patronage-still-gets-foundations-work-done/ |title='Charitable Patronage' Still Gets Foundation's Work Done |date=July 7, 1985 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref>
John MacArthur was a ] and ]. The Foundation’s original 1970 deed said that one purpose of the foundation was to support “ways to discover and promulgate avoidance of waste in government expenditures.” However, MacArthur did not spell out specific parameters for how his money was to be spent after he died. MacArthur told the Foundation's board of directors "I figured out how to make the money. You fellows will have to figure out how to spend it.”<ref name=commentary/> Between 1979 and 1981, John's son J. Roderick MacArthur, a political liberal, waged a legal battle against the Foundation, wresting control of the board of directors away from conservative members. The Foundation became and remains one of the pillars of the liberal philanthropic establishment.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Morse Wooster|first1=Martin|title=The Inscrutable Billionaire|url=http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/the_inscrutable_billionaire|accessdate=12 June 2015|work=Philanthropy Magazine|publisher=Philanthropy Roundtable|date=Summer 2008}}</ref>


Between 1979 and 1981, John's son, an ideological opponent of his father with whom the elder MacArthur had an acrimonious relationship, waged a legal battle against the foundation for control of the board of directors.<ref name="Nielsen">{{Cite book |last=Nielsen |first=Waldemar |url=https://archive.org/details/insideamericanph0000niel |title=Inside American Philanthropy: The Dramas of Donorship |date=1996 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=9780806128023 |pages=–34 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The younger MacArthur sued eight members of the board, accusing them of mismanagement of the foundation funds. These court cases were dismissed by each jurisdiction for lack of merit.
==Personnel==

], formerly dean of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, served as the Foundation's fourth president from 2009 to 2014.<ref>{{cite news
In 1984, MacArthur again sued the board of directors including William Kirby, his father's trusted attorney, asking a ] circuit court to liquidate the entire MacArthur Foundation. He dropped the suit later that year when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kleban Mills |first=Barbara |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088625,00.html |title=The MacArthur 'Genius' Awards Are Jeopardized as the Dying Patron Attacks the Foundation |date=September 10, 1984 |work=People (magazine)|access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Browning |first=Graeme |url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/07/27/The-son-of-the-man-who-established-the-15/2082459748800/ |title=The son of the man who established the $1.5&nbsp;billion foundation |date=July 27, 1984 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |work=United Press International}}</ref>
| last = Spector

| first = Mike
==Leadership==
| title = Former Diplomat to Lead MacArthur Foundation
], the first president of the foundation and later board chairman from 1995 to 2002, was followed in 1989–99 by ], who was the first female dean at ].<ref name="presidents">{{Cite web |url=http://www.macfound.org/about/our-history/past-presidents/ |title=MacArthur Foundation: Past Presidents |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref><ref name="johncorbally">{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/07/26/dr-john-corbally-79/ |title=Dr. John Corbally, 79: First President Helped Establish MacArthur Foundation Identity |last=Fellers |first=Li |date=July 26, 2004 |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=July 14, 2015}}</ref> ], president of ], served as the foundation's next president.<ref name=presidents/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/people-in-the-news-4-20-14-appointments-and-promotions |title=People in the News (4/20/14): Appointments and Promotions |date=April 20, 2014 |website=Philanthropy News Digest |access-date=June 26, 2015}}</ref> ], formerly dean of ]'s School of Foreign Service, served as the foundation's fourth president from 2009 to 2014.<ref name=presidents/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Spector |first=Mike |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123665286020579843?mod=todays_us_page_one |title=Former Diplomat to Lead MacArthur Foundation |date=March 10, 2009 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=March 10, 2009 |page=A2}}</ref> Gallucci was fired in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Callahan |first=David |url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/3/why-did-mac-sack-bob.html |title=Why Did Mac Sack Bob? |date=May 3, 2014 |work=Inside Philanthropy |access-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref> Julia Stasch, who formerly served as MacArthur's vice president for U.S. Programs, was named the foundation's president in 2015.<ref name=AboutOurHistory/> Stasch had been chief of staff to Chicago mayor ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Callahan |first=David |url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2015/3/13/julia-stasch-atop-macarthur-change-or-more-of-the-same-maybe.html |title=Julia Stasch Atop MacArthur: Change or More of the Same? Maybe Both |date=March 13, 2015 |work=Inside Philanthropy |access-date=June 12, 2015}}</ref> She announced that she would step down in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Steve |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-macarthur-president-stasch-retire-0925-story.html |title=MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch to step down next year |date=September 25, 2018 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> In March 2019, ] was named president, effective September 1, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/john-palfrey-named-new-macarthur-president/ |title=John Palfrey Named New MacArthur President |access-date=March 15, 2019 |publisher=MacArthur Foundation}}</ref>
| work = ]
| page = A2
| date = 10 March 2009
| url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123665286020579843.html?mod=todays_us_page_one
| accessdate =March 10, 2009 }}</ref> Gallucci was fired in 2014, with the Foundation's board announcing it was "looking for a new kind of leadership."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Callahan|first1=David|title=Why Did Mac Sack Bob?|url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/5/3/why-did-mac-sack-bob.html|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=Inside Philanthropy|date=May 3, 2014}}</ref> Julia Stasch, who formerly served as MacArthur's Vice President for U.S. Programs, was named the Foundation's new president in 2015. Stasch had formerly served as chief of staff to Chicago Mayor ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Callahan|first1=David|title=Julia Stasch Atop MacArthur: Change or More of the Same? Maybe Both|url=http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2015/3/13/julia-stasch-atop-macarthur-change-or-more-of-the-same-maybe.html|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=Inside Philanthropy|date=March 13, 2015}}</ref>


==MacArthur Fellowship== ==MacArthur Fellowship==
{{main|MacArthur Fellows Program}} {{main|MacArthur Fellows Program}}


The ] is an award issued by the MacArthur Foundation each year, to typically 20 to 30 citizens or residents of the United States, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work". The program was initiated in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reich |first=Howard |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-macarthur-fellows-program-unveils-events-20160111-column.html |title=MacArthur Fellows Program unveils wide-ranging events |date=January 12, 2016 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref> According to the foundation, the fellowship is not a reward for past accomplishment, but an investment in a person's originality and potential. {{as of|2015}}, MacArthur Fellows receive $625,000 each, which is paid out in quarterly installments over five years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Calamur |first=Krishnadev |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/09/2015-macarthur-genius-grants-announced/407758/ |title='Geniuses' Revealed |date=September 29, 2015 |work=] |access-date=September 1, 2016}}</ref> The ] was one of the nonprofit organizations to receive a US$1&nbsp;million four-year grant in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Chicago-Foundation-for-Women-Awarded-1-Million-MacArthur-Foundation-Grant/59815.html |title=Chicago Foundation for Women Awarded $1 Million MacArthur Foundation Grant - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive |website=Windy City Times |date=July 17, 2017 |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref> No one can apply for the program, and, generally, no one knows whether they are being considered as a candidate. Nominators, serving confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time, are invited to recommend potential Fellows. Candidates are reviewed by a selection committee whose members also serve confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time. Ultimately, the selection committee makes recommendations to the foundation's board of directors for final approval.<ref name=myths/>
The ] is an award issued by the MacArthur Foundation each year, to typically 20 to 25 citizens or residents of the United States, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work." According to the Foundation website, "the fellowship is not a reward for past accomplishment, but rather an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential."


==Specific funding and projects==
The Foundation does not accept applications or grant interviews. The foundation relies on anonymous nominators, who submit recommendations to a small selection committee of about a dozen people. The committee then reviews every applicant and passes along their recommendations to the President and the board of directors. The entire process is anonymous and confidential. The first time that a new MacArthur Fellow learns that he or she was even being considered is upon receiving a phone call telling him or her the news of the award.
===Stalker Human Rights Film Festival===
The foundation awarded a total of around $850,000 in six separate grants to the ] between 2005 and 2014 to support the ] in ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Moscow Guild of Theater and Screen Actors | website=MacArthur Foundation | date=22 November 2021 | url=https://www.macfound.org/grantee/moscow-guild-of-theater-and-screen-actors-39243/ | access-date=4 September 2022}}</ref>


===100&Change===
] of ] is credited with conceiving of the idea for the MacArthur Fellow program.<ref name=commentary>{{cite news|last1=Morse Wooster|first1=Martin|title=The MacArthur Mistake|url=https://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/the-macarthur-mistake/|accessdate=12 June 2015|publisher=Commentary|date=December 1, 2010}}</ref>
In June 2016, the foundation requested "proposals promising real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time in any field or any location". The winning proposal would receive a $100&nbsp;million grant. Almost 2,000 proposals were submitted. In December 2017, the foundation announced that the winning proposal was submitted by the ] and the ]. The grant was applied to the education of Middle Eastern refugee children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Steve |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/museums/ct-ent-sesame-wins-macarthur-100-million-dollar-grant-challenge-1221-story.html |title=Sesame Workshop child refugee plan wins first MacArthur $100M challenge |date=December 20, 2017 |access-date=December 20, 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

===The Just Home Project===
In May 2022, The MacArthur Foundation, partnered with the Urban Institute announced the launch of a housing stability program designed to break the links between housing instability and jail incarceration. The Just Home Project will provide the communities of Charleston County, South Carolina, Minnehaha County, South Dakota; The city and county of San Francisco; and Tulsa County, Oklahoma with $5 million in grant funding to create a unique plan to bring together government officials, non-profit partners, and impacted communities members to develop innovative approaches to this issue. MacArthur has awarded $3.2 million in support of the work in the selected communities and an additional $1.8 million will support the Urban Institute's technical assistance work.<ref>{{cite journal|date=20 May 2022|url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/macarthur-foundation-urban-institute-launch-housing-stability-program|title=MacArthur Foundation, Urban Institute launch housing stability program|journal=Philanthropy News Digest|access-date=20 May 2022}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
*]
⚫ *]
*]
*] *]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
Line 66: Line 75:
==External links== ==External links==
<!-- Don't add links to, or names of, recipients IN THIS ARTICLE. A complete list, lk'd to the WP bios, makes up the bulk of the article ]. --> <!-- Don't add links to, or names of, recipients IN THIS ARTICLE. A complete list, lk'd to the WP bios, makes up the bulk of the article ]. -->
*{{official website}}
*
*{{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|237093598}}

⚫ {{MacArthur Foundation}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T.}} {{DEFAULTSORT:MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T.}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 16:48, 9 October 2024

American private foundation

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Founded1970; 55 years ago (1970)
Type501(c)3 organization
Tax ID no. 23-7093598
FocusClimate change, nuclear challenges, non-profit journalism, local issues in Chicago
Location
PresidentJohn Palfrey
Key peopleJohn D. MacArthur (co-founder)
Catherine T. MacArthur (co-founder)
Endowment$8 billion (2022)
Websitewww.macfound.org Edit this at Wikidata

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6 billion and provides approximately $260 million annually in grants and impact investments. It is based in Chicago, and in 2014 it was the 12th-largest private foundation in the United States. It has awarded more than US$8.27 billion since its first grants in 1978.

The foundation's stated purpose is to support "creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world". MacArthur's grant-making priorities include mitigating climate change, reducing jail populations, decreasing nuclear threats, supporting nonprofit journalism, and funding local needs in its hometown of Chicago. According to the OECD, the foundation's financing for 2019 development increased by 27% to US$109 million. The MacArthur Fellows Program, commonly referred to as the "genius" award, annually gives $800,000 no-strings-attached grants to around two dozen creative individuals in diverse fields "who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits". The foundation's 100&Change competition awards a $100 million grant every three years to a single proposal.

History

John D. MacArthur owned Bankers Life and Casualty and other businesses, as well as considerable property holdings in Florida and New York. His wife, Catherine, held positions in many of these companies. Their attorney, William T. Kirby, and Paul Doolen, their chief financial officer, suggested that the family create a foundation to be endowed by their vast fortune.

When MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of a billion dollars. He left 92 percent of his estate to found the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Its first board of directors, per MacArthur's will, also included J. Roderick MacArthur, John's son from his first marriage, two other officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and radio commentator Paul Harvey. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, later joined the board of directors.

The elder MacArthur believed in the free market. However, he did not direct how foundation money was to be spent after he died. MacArthur told the board of directors, "I figured out how to make the money. You fellows will have to figure out how to spend it."

Between 1979 and 1981, John's son, an ideological opponent of his father with whom the elder MacArthur had an acrimonious relationship, waged a legal battle against the foundation for control of the board of directors. The younger MacArthur sued eight members of the board, accusing them of mismanagement of the foundation funds. These court cases were dismissed by each jurisdiction for lack of merit.

In 1984, MacArthur again sued the board of directors including William Kirby, his father's trusted attorney, asking a Cook County circuit court to liquidate the entire MacArthur Foundation. He dropped the suit later that year when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Leadership

John E. Corbally, the first president of the foundation and later board chairman from 1995 to 2002, was followed in 1989–99 by Adele Simmons, who was the first female dean at Princeton University. Jonathan Fanton, president of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, served as the foundation's next president. Robert Gallucci, formerly dean of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, served as the foundation's fourth president from 2009 to 2014. Gallucci was fired in 2014. Julia Stasch, who formerly served as MacArthur's vice president for U.S. Programs, was named the foundation's president in 2015. Stasch had been chief of staff to Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley. She announced that she would step down in 2019. In March 2019, John Palfrey was named president, effective September 1, 2019.

MacArthur Fellowship

Main article: MacArthur Fellows Program

The MacArthur Fellowship is an award issued by the MacArthur Foundation each year, to typically 20 to 30 citizens or residents of the United States, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work". The program was initiated in 1981. According to the foundation, the fellowship is not a reward for past accomplishment, but an investment in a person's originality and potential. As of 2015, MacArthur Fellows receive $625,000 each, which is paid out in quarterly installments over five years. The Chicago Foundation for Women was one of the nonprofit organizations to receive a US$1 million four-year grant in 2017. No one can apply for the program, and, generally, no one knows whether they are being considered as a candidate. Nominators, serving confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time, are invited to recommend potential Fellows. Candidates are reviewed by a selection committee whose members also serve confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time. Ultimately, the selection committee makes recommendations to the foundation's board of directors for final approval.

Specific funding and projects

Stalker Human Rights Film Festival

The foundation awarded a total of around $850,000 in six separate grants to the Russian Guild of Film Directors between 2005 and 2014 to support the Stalker Human Rights Film Festival in Moscow.

100&Change

In June 2016, the foundation requested "proposals promising real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time in any field or any location". The winning proposal would receive a $100 million grant. Almost 2,000 proposals were submitted. In December 2017, the foundation announced that the winning proposal was submitted by the Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee. The grant was applied to the education of Middle Eastern refugee children.

The Just Home Project

In May 2022, The MacArthur Foundation, partnered with the Urban Institute announced the launch of a housing stability program designed to break the links between housing instability and jail incarceration. The Just Home Project will provide the communities of Charleston County, South Carolina, Minnehaha County, South Dakota; The city and county of San Francisco; and Tulsa County, Oklahoma with $5 million in grant funding to create a unique plan to bring together government officials, non-profit partners, and impacted communities members to develop innovative approaches to this issue. MacArthur has awarded $3.2 million in support of the work in the selected communities and an additional $1.8 million will support the Urban Institute's technical assistance work.

See also

Notes

  1. The MacArthur Foundation does not use the term "genius" to describe its fellows and has asked the media to stop using it.

References

  1. ^ "MacArthur Foundation: Our History". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. Nicas, Jack (September 20, 2011). "The New Class of 'Geniuses'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  3. "President - MacArthur Foundation".
  4. www.macfound.org Edit this at Wikidata
  5. JOHN D.AND CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION Consolidated Financial Statements$7.6 billion Net Assets
  6. ^ "MacArthur Foundation: Chicago Grants". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  7. "Program Budgets". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. "Top 100 U.S. Foundations by Asset Size". Foundation Center. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  9. "Financials - MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  10. "About Us". MacArthur Foundation. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  11. Daniels, Alex (January 11, 2016). "Inside MacArthur's Rapid Strategic Shift to 'Big Bets'". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  12. "Development Co-operation Profiles – John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation". OECD iLibrary.
  13. ^ Montevideo, Mickey Y. (October 3, 2011). "Alumna receives MacArthur Foundation's 'genius award'". UGA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  14. "MacArthur Fellows Frequently Asked Questions". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  15. Conrad, Cecilia A. (September 20, 2013). "Five Myths About the MacArthur 'Genius Grants'". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. Jim Collins (September 19, 2005). "It isn't easy being a genius". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  17. Viet Thanh Nguyen (April 14, 2018). "Don't call me a genius". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Conrad, Cecilia (September 20, 2013). "Five Myths about the MacArthur 'Genius Grants'". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  19. "100&Change". 100&Change. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  20. Sherrow, Victoria (2009). Jonas Salk (Revised ed.). Infobase Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 9781438104119.
  21. Husock, Howard (December 4, 2015). "Trust Chan and Zuckerberg to Decide How to Spend Their Money for the Public Good". The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  22. Hauer, Peter W. (2011). The Big Picture: The Past, The Present, & Your Children's Future. Author House. p. 355. ISBN 9781420815351.
  23. Frantz, Douglas (July 7, 1985). "'Charitable Patronage' Still Gets Foundation's Work Done". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  24. Nielsen, Waldemar (1996). Inside American Philanthropy: The Dramas of Donorship. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 132–34. ISBN 9780806128023. Retrieved September 1, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  25. Kleban Mills, Barbara (September 10, 1984). "The MacArthur 'Genius' Awards Are Jeopardized as the Dying Patron Attacks the Foundation". People (magazine). Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  26. Browning, Graeme (July 27, 1984). "The son of the man who established the $1.5 billion foundation". United Press International. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  27. ^ "MacArthur Foundation: Past Presidents". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  28. Fellers, Li (July 26, 2004). "Dr. John Corbally, 79: First President Helped Establish MacArthur Foundation Identity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  29. "People in the News (4/20/14): Appointments and Promotions". Philanthropy News Digest. April 20, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  30. Spector, Mike (March 10, 2009). "Former Diplomat to Lead MacArthur Foundation". The Wall Street Journal. p. A2. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  31. Callahan, David (May 3, 2014). "Why Did Mac Sack Bob?". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  32. Callahan, David (March 13, 2015). "Julia Stasch Atop MacArthur: Change or More of the Same? Maybe Both". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  33. Johnson, Steve (September 25, 2018). "MacArthur Foundation President Julia Stasch to step down next year". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  34. "John Palfrey Named New MacArthur President". MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  35. Reich, Howard (January 12, 2016). "MacArthur Fellows Program unveils wide-ranging events". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  36. Calamur, Krishnadev (September 29, 2015). "'Geniuses' Revealed". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  37. "Chicago Foundation for Women Awarded $1 Million MacArthur Foundation Grant - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive". Windy City Times. July 17, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  38. "Moscow Guild of Theater and Screen Actors". MacArthur Foundation. November 22, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  39. Johnson, Steve (December 20, 2017). "Sesame Workshop child refugee plan wins first MacArthur $100M challenge". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  40. "MacArthur Foundation, Urban Institute launch housing stability program". Philanthropy News Digest. May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.

External links

MacArthur Foundation
Founders
Programs
Presidents
Categories: