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26-533: The MacArthur Fellows Program , also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the " Genius Grant ", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and 30 individuals working in any field who have shown "extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction" and are citizens or residents of

52-449: 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. 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

78-450: 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. The foundation awarded a total of around $ 850,000 in six separate grants to

104-609: 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

130-460: Is made to individuals of varying educational background but among the 1131 fellowship awards through the class of 2023, the following ten institutions have the most alumni fellows, with Harvard University having the most overall and the California Institute of Technology having the most per capita. Source: MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

156-446: 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

182-566: 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

208-574: The 1948 Tucker Sedan (also nicknamed the Tucker Torpedo) led to a controversial SEC inquiry and stock fraud trial in 1949. The jury found Tucker and his colleagues not guilty. Kirby became the attorney for wealthy real estate investor and insurance executive John D. MacArthur . From 1965 through 1980, Kirby was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Hubachek, Kelly, Rauch & Kirby. Kirby was John MacArthur's attorney for about 25 years before retiring from

234-606: The Russian Guild of Film Directors between 2005 and 2014 to support the Stalker Human Rights Film Festival in Moscow . 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

260-591: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . He married and at the time of his death he would be survived by his son, three daughters; a sister, and four granddaughters. After admission to the Illinois bar, in 1932 Kirby became a Judge in the Illinois Bankruptcy court. Later Kirby was an Assistant Attorney General for Illinois for four years. Kirby first drew public attention as the defense attorney for Preston Tucker , whose development and financing of an advanced automobile,

286-462: The United States . According to the foundation's website, "the fellowship is not a reward for past accomplishments but rather an investment in a person's originality, insight, and potential", but it also says such potential is "based on a track record of significant accomplishments". The current prize is $ 800,000 paid over five years in quarterly installments. Previously, it was $ 625,000. This figure

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312-699: 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. 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

338-715: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation was two pages long and written in plain English. In August 1978, John and Catherine MacArthur appointed Rod MacArthur to the Foundation board, Kirby suggested that the MacArthur Foundation create the Fellows Program . The idea first came to Kirby's attention through George E. Burch , a doctor at Tulane University . After bringing the idea to the foundation's original board members, Kirby

364-410: 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

390-438: 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

416-476: 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 ,

442-469: The five broad categories defined by the foundation, the breakdown for recipient focus is as follows: Arts 336; Humanities 170; Public Issues 257; STEM 335; and Social Sciences 120. Of the 965 terminal degrees earned by 928 fellows during the period 1981 through 2018, 540 (56%) are doctorates, with the Ph.D. accounting for 514 (53.3%). Ivy league schools awarded 306 (31.7%) degrees to 300 (32.3%) fellows. The award

468-494: 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

494-421: 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

520-543: The legal partnership to work for the MacArthur Foundation , which he helped create as described below. Kirby and Paul Doolen , MacArthur's CFO , suggested that the MacArthurs create a foundation for charity but they left no instructions as to what the foundation's focus should be, that was left to the small board of directors whom John and Catherine MacArthur trusted. The legal document, written by Kirby, that created

546-410: The president and board of directors . Most new fellows first learn of their nomination and award upon receiving a congratulatory phone call. MacArthur Fellow Jim Collins described this experience in an editorial column of The New York Times . Marlies Carruth is the program's current director. As of 2023, since 1981, 1131 people have been named MacArthur Fellows, ranging in age from 18 to 82. In

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572-590: The selected communities and an additional $ 1.8 million will support the Urban Institute's technical assistance work. William T. Kirby Born in Chicago, Kirby's family moved to Waukegan, Illinois , where Kirby was educated in the local public schools. He then attended the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School during the Great Depression . During World War II , Kirby became an officer with

598-549: 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. 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

624-537: Was increased from $ 500,000 in 2013 with the release of a review of the MacArthur Fellows Program. The award has been called "one of the most significant awards that is truly 'no strings attached ' ". The program does not accept applications. Anonymous and confidential nominations are invited by the foundation and reviewed by an anonymous and confidential selection committee of about a dozen people. The committee reviews all nominees and recommends recipients to

650-571: Was instrumental in shaping it. William T. Kirby served as vice chairman for many years and chairman (1988-1990) of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and also supported public television and independent filmmakers. While running the McArthur Foundation, Kirby also introduced and supported programs including: Kirby died in West Bend, Wisconsin of a heart attack in October 1990. He

676-403: Was named president, effective September 1, 2019. 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

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