The Latest Breaking News from MacArthur Foundation

The John D

The John D

The need to increase funding for Black feminist organizations is urgent, according to an open letter from some of philanthropy’s most influential organizations – including Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, as well as the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation – released Thursday

The award is seen as one of the most coveted and distinguished honors in academia, arts and science.

CHICAGO — In 1981, the MacArthur Foundation began awarding annual fellowships. These have consisted of monetary awards of $800,000 (an increase this year, bumped up from a decade ago and paid out in annual installments of $160,000 over five years) to do with whatever the awardees want.

The winners of the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious fellowship this year include a waste management engineer, an ornithologist and writers, physicians and mathematicians

This year's MacArthur Fellows include scientists, artists and historians. The so-called MacArthur "geniuses" receive unrestricted grants of $800,000 for their "exceptional creativity" and "promise."

A University of Chicago professor, a cellist and an artist are among the latest recipients of the MacArthur Foundation “genius grants.”

Hollywood film producer Dan Lin — known for movies such as Disney’s live action “Aladdin” and “The Two Popes” — is launching a nonprofit with more than $1 million from the Ford and MacArthur foundations as well as several other philanthropies