About our grantmaking

MacArthur supports the production and distribution of news and documentary programs for television, radio, and the web that help inform the American public about important domestic and international current affairs and policy issues.

Latest news

Helping Local Broadcasters Get Back on the Air in Haiti

January 20, 2010

In the wake of the earthquake, Internews has been helping Haitian media by providing technical equipment to help communicate critical information, such as where to go for food, water, and shelter. Designed to help provide trusted news in crisis situations, Internews receives support from MacArthur for quick reaction to such humanitarian disasters. “Local media reporting for their local audiences are the best conduits for information in times like these,” said Internews' chief operating officer Jeanne Bourgault in an interview about the group’s wokrk in the Columbia Journalism Review. “They know their audiences, their needs, their concerns, and, of course, they can reach them in their own language.” Visit Internews's website »

Peter Osnos on Amazon, Apple, and Caravan

TheAtlantic.com, January 26, 2010

Peter Osnos, the executive director of the Caravan Project, writes about the impact of the MacArthur-funded initiative to help university and nonprofit presses take advantage of digital technologies for the distribution of books. Read the article »

Public Service News Cooperative Launched in Chicago

October 22, 2009

A group of Chicago journalists committed to public service journalism announced the formation of the Chicago News Cooperative (CNC), with major support from the MacArthur Foundation. Read more »

Grantee News, Press Releases

Community News Matters Awards

November 5, 2009

12 new grants totaling $500,000 will support the development of new sources of quality local news and information about the Chicago region. Read more »

Grantee News, Press Releases

Documentary on Health Disparities Wins National Academies Award

October 29, 2009

Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, a MacArthur-supported documentary series exploring racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health, received the best documentary series award from the National Academies. Produced and directed by grantee California Newsreel, the documentary examines how the social conditions in which we are born, live, and work affect our health.

From the Field

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