Overview

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition.  Through the support it provides, the Foundation fosters the development of knowledge, nurtures individual creativity, strengthens institutions, helps improve public policy, and provides information to the public, primarily through support for public interest media.

With assets of $6.8 billion and grants and program-related investments totaling approximately $260 million annually, MacArthur is one of the nation’s largest private philanthropic foundations.  In order to enhance its effectiveness, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking on a relatively few areas of work, making available to each sufficient resources over a long enough period of time to make a measurable difference.

The Foundation makes grants and loans through four programs.

The Program on Global Security and Sustainability focuses on international issues, including human rights and international justice, peace and security, conservation and sustainable development, higher education in Nigeria and Russia, migration and human mobility, and population and reproductive health.  MacArthur grantees work in about 60 countries; the Foundation has offices in India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia.

The Program on Human and Community Development addresses issues in the United States, including community and economic development; housing, with a focus on the preservation of affordable rental housing; juvenile justice reform; education, with an emerging interest in digital media and learning; and policy research and analysis on important domestic concerns.

The General Program supports public interest media, including public radio, documentary programming, and work to explore the use of digital technologies to reach and engage the public.  Grants are also made to arts and cultural institutions in the Chicago area and for special initiatives, including intellectual property rights in a digital environment.  The General Program also provides a few institution-building grants each year to organizations that are central to the fields in which the Foundation works.

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards five-year, unrestricted fellowships to individuals across all ages and fields who show exceptional merit and promise of continued creative work.  It is limited to U.S. citizens and residents.

John D. MacArthur (1897-1978) developed and owned Bankers Life and Casualty Company and other businesses, as well as considerable property in Florida and New York.  His wife Catherine (1909-1981) held positions in many of these companies and served as a director of the Foundation.
 
For more information about the Foundation or to sign-up for our electronic newsletter, please visit www.macfound.org.