MacArthur Foundation

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution. It is most widely known for its significant support of the Public Broadcasting System and for the MacArthur Fellowship Program, also known as the "genius awards". It was founded by John D. MacArthur.

History

Dr. John Corbally was the first president of the foundation, serving from 1980 till 1989.

MacArthur Fellowship

Main category: MacArthur Fellows

The MacArthur Fellowship (sometimes nicknamed the "genius grant") is an award issued by the MacArthur Foundation each year, to typically 20 to 40 citizens or residents of the USA, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work".

The fellowship doesn't accept applications nor does it grant interviews. The foundation relies on over a hundred anonymous nominators, who submit their recommendations to a small selection committee of around 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 kept anonymous and confidential. The first time a new MacArthur Fellow learns that they were even being considered is when they receive a phone call telling them the good news.

As of 2002, the monetary award consists of an unrestricted grant of $100,000 per year, issued quarterly for five years. The Foundation expects no updates or reports on how the money is spent; MacArthur Fellows are implicitly trusted.

Current recipients

List of MacArthur Fellows organized by terms of their awards.

October 2004 through September 2009

October 2003 through September 2008

Guillermo Algaze, archaeologist
James J. Collins, biomedical engineer
Lydia Davis, writer
Erik Demaine, theoretical computer scientist
Corinne Dufka, human rights researcher
Peter Gleick, conservation analyst
Osvaldo Golijov, composer
Deborah Jin, physicist
Angela Johnson, writer
Tom Joyce, blacksmith
Sarah H. Kagan, nurse
Ned Kahn, graphic artist
Jim Yong Kim, physician
Nawal Nour, physician
Loren Rieseberg, botanist
Amy Rosenzweig, biochemist
Pedro A. Sanchez, agronomist
Lateefah Simon, women's advocate
Peter Sis, illustrator
Sarah Sze, sculptor
Eve Troutt Powell, historian
Anders Winroth, historian
Daisy Youngblood, ceramic artist
Xiaowei Zhuang, biophysicist

September 2002 through August 2007

October 2001 through September 2006

Danielle Allen
Andrea Barrett
Christopher Chyba
Michael Dickinson, fly biologist/bioengineer
Rosanne Haggerty
Lene Hau, physicist
Dave Hickey
Stephen Hough
Kay Redfield Jamison, psychologist
Sandra Lanham
Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
Cynthia Moss
Dirk Obbink
Norman Pace
Suzan-Lori Parks, playwright
Brooks Pate
Xiao Qiang, human rights activist
Geraldine Seydoux
Bright Sheng
David Spergel
Jean Strouse
Julie Su
David Wilson (US) creator of The Museum Of Jurassic Technology

July 2000 through June 2005

Past Recipients

1999

1998

1997

1996

James Angel
Joaquin Avila
Allan Berube
Barbara Block
Joan Connely
Thomas Daniel
Martin Eakes
Rebecca Goldstein
Robert Greenstein
Richard Howard
John Jesurun
Richard Lenski (http://www.msu.edu/user/lenski/)
Louis Massiah
Vonnie McLoyd
Thylias Moss
Eiko Otake & Koma Otake
Nathan Seiberg
Anna Deavere Smith
Dorothy Stoneman
William E. Strickland

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

1987

1986

1985

1984

1983

1982

1981

Miscellaneous

The grant was recently featured on an episode of the television show Family Guy; the main character, Peter Griffin, attempted to become a MacArthur Fellow but scored so low on the test that he was deemed mentally retarded.

External links

MacArthur Foundation Website (http://www.macfound.org/)
MacArthur Fellows Program info page (http://www.macfdn.org/programs/fel/fel_overview.htm)
MacArthur Fellows announcement (http://www.macfound.org/programs/fel/announce.htm)

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Categories: Foundations