MacArthur Fellows Program Frequently Asked Questions

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.

What is the MacArthur Fellowship? What do the recipients receive? range of activities, rather than a pre– The MacArthur Fellowship is a five-year The stipend for the MacArthur Fellowship determined set of fields. Some expand grant to individuals who show exceptional is currently set at $500,000, paid in traditional disciplines in unexpected creativity in their work and the prospect quarterly installments over five years. ways, others synthesize ideas from for still more in the future. The fellowship apparently disparate fields, still others is designed to provide recipients with the undertake endeavors that defy easy Why are no strings attached? flexibility to pursue their creative activities classification. Our recipients have in the absence of specific obligations or The MacArthur Fellowship is designed to included scientists, historians, poets and reporting requirements. There are no provide seed money for intellectual, novelists, artists and composers, and limits on age or area of activity. Individuals social, and artistic endeavors. We believe people working in public service, but cannot apply for this award; they must that highly motivated, self-directed, and many work outside of conventional be nominated. talented people are in the best position to disciplinary categories. decide how to allocate their time and resources. By adopting a “no strings How does the program define What are the selection criteria? attached” policy, we provide the “creativity”? The selection decisions focus primarily maximum freedom for the recipients to on exceptional creativity, as demonstrated follow their creative vision, whether it is Creativity, like humor, can get lost in through a track record of significant moving forward with their current definition — not because it cannot be achievement, and manifest promise for activities, expanding the scope of their described, but because it can be important future advances. Emphasis is work, or embarking in entirely new expressed in limitless variations. In this placed on nominees for whom our directions. There are no restrictions on program, we have found it useful to support would relieve limitations that how the money can be spent, and we regard creativity as the expression of human endeavor as individuals actively inhibit them from pursuing their most impose no reporting obligations. innovative ideas. Recipients must also be make or find something new, or connect citizens or residents of the United States the seemingly unconnected in significant and must not hold elective office or What fields are generally represented ways. The Fellows Program places its advanced positions in government as among the recipients? emphasis on individual creativity because defined by statute. We consider creative people applying the discoveries, actions, and ideas that their talents across the widest possible shape our society often result from the

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation September 2010 MacArthur Fellows Program

path-breaking efforts of individuals. The Who are the nominators? Do some people know that they have MacArthur Fellowship is designed to In order to gather fresh perspectives, we been nominated? support people, often unrecognized, invite throughout the year new nominators Occasionally nominees do find out, but who are expanding the boundaries of across the spectrum of human activity; not from us. We specifically ask nominators knowledge and human interaction. The they serve confidentially for terms of and evaluators not to contact the nominee visibility that comes with a fellowship can several months. Nominators are identified or others regarding the nomination. Since also draw attention to the efforts of for their expertise and familiarity with individuals can’t apply for the fellowship others working in similar areas or fields. exceptionally creative people in their or promote themselves as candidates, By highlighting the remarkable breadth respective areas of focus. We maintain a and because many more are nominated and diversity of creativity exhibited by large and ever-growing list of potential than will receive a fellowship, it is best for some people, the MacArthur Fellows nominators who have been recommended individuals to remain unaware of their Program indirectly acknowledges the to us from many sources: Foundation nomination. value and efforts of many others who board members, selection committee apply their creative energies to the members, past nominators, and various common benefit. experts across the country. We also The Selection Process identify people who are recognized Is this the same thing as the “genius leaders in their fields and whose work What is the Selection Committee? grant”? Why does the program not naturally exposes them to a wide variety The Selection Committee consists of use the term “genius” regarding its of interesting and creative people. approximately 12 people who serve Fellows? confidentially and are chosen for their Journalists and others sometimes use How do nominators nominate? breadth of experience, excellent judgment, “genius grant” as a shorthand reference and curiosity. In identifying members for for the MacArthur Fellowship. We avoid Nominators write a letter to the program director, usually a page or two, describing the committee, we look for depth of using the term “genius” to describe interest in at least one major field, broad MacArthur Fellows because it connotes the person they are nominating and their reasons for doing so. These letters focus familiarity with other major fields, and, a singular characteristic of intellectual above all, an enthusiasm for creative on the quality and creativity of the prowess. The people we seek to support ideas and important issues within and nominees and their work, and on the express many other important qualities: outside of their areas of expertise. likely benefits of the award to the recipient. ability to transcend traditional boundaries, Committee members bring experiences We ask them to suggest the names of willingness to take risks, persistence in from many different perspectives — the others who can provide independent the face of personal and conceptual arts, humanities, social sciences, evaluations of their nominees. Nominators obstacles, capacity to synthesize disparate biological and physical sciences, the ideas and approaches. may submit any number of nominations professions, business, and public they please. service — but individual members do not speak on behalf of a particular discipline. How many nominations are received Because the committee works as a The Nomination Process during the course of a year? How group, the decision on each nomination How are candidates brought to our long does it take for a nomination to represents a collective judgment drawn attention? move through the selection process? from a wide range of insightful and discerning perspectives. At the end of So that we can expand our search for We receive several hundred nominations each review cycle, some members rotate creative people as widely as possible per year, but not all of them are considered off the committee, and individual while keeping the number of nominations that same year. The shortest possible selectors generally serve for three years. manageable, we limit our consideration interval from nomination to award is only to those who have been nominated about nine months, but it normally takes by someone from our constantly changing more than a year, sometimes several. What information does the Selection pool of invited external nominators. Committee use to make its Applications or unsolicited nominations recommendations? are not accepted. Prior to review, each nomination is

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assigned to one of the program’s senior responses will not be disseminated website at www.macfound.org. Neither staff. Staff members draw from the beyond the program staff and Selection the number of recipients nor the timing nominator’s letter, experience with Committee. of the announcement is fixed. nominations in similar areas, and independent investigation to prepare a file for the Selection Committee. The file is generally composed of letters of The Board of Directors Program History and evaluation from experts in the nominee’s Background field and samples of the nominee’s work What role does the Board of Who were John D. and Catherine T. that exemplify their creativity, such as Directors play in the MacArthur MacArthur? articles, books, slides, films, and audio or Fellows Program? video recordings. It may also contain The Board of Directors established the John MacArthur was a businessman reviews of those works and reports about MacArthur Fellows Program and is whose funds created the Foundation; the nominee published by others. ultimately responsible for its overall Catherine was his second wife and a policies and procedures. Throughout the member of the boards of many of the selection cycle, the Board is kept apprised firms he owned. John MacArthur was the What is the selection process? of Selection Committee progress. At the sole owner of Bankers Life & Casualty Having reviewed the background materials end of the cycle, the Board receives for Company, a -based firm he collected, the Selection Committee its consideration and approval the purchased in the 1930s. He had numerous meets to discuss the nominations against committee’s formal recommendations for real estate holdings in and the selection criteria. If the nomination MacArthur Fellowships. In addition, the , and other businesses and real appears promising, selectors will work Board of Directors authorizes the invitation estate all over the country. He created the with staff to develop a strategy for further of members of the Selection Committee Foundation in 1970. It began operations investigation. Other nominations are who have been recommended by the upon his death in 1978. He selected deferred pending additional work program’s staff. Board members to run the Foundation forthcoming from the nominee. For still but did not provide guidelines for them other nominations, a consensus develops to follow. that further consideration is not warranted. At the final meeting for each review The Announcement Why is the Foundation interested in cycle, the Selection Committee identifies issues relating to individuals and the most outstanding nominations, How are recipients notified of the creativity? Whose idea was the representing a spectrum of creative fellowship, and what are their Fellows Program? activity, for recommendation to the Board responses? The late William T. Kirby, a member of of Directors for that year’s MacArthur Generally, the director of the program the Board from its beginning, brought to Fellowships. Nominations that do not calls the new Fellows just prior to the the Board’s attention at one of its first advance within a particular review cycle announcement each year, and we meetings, in August 1978, an article are retained for possible subsequent confirm the award with a letter. Fellows’ entitled “Of Venture Research” by reconsideration. responses are just what one might Dr. George Burch [American Heart imagine — amazement, gratitude, and Journal, December 1976]. Dr. Burch sometimes incredulity. Why all the confidentiality? argued that money should be set aside to All of the participants in the selection allow truly creative individuals the free process — nominators, evaluators, and How many people receive the time to be alone and think. He wrote, selectors — serve anonymously, and we fellowship and when are they “There is a need for granting agencies to keep their communications confidential. announced? seek out investigators who are genuinely Anonymity protects them from being Typically, between 20 and 25 recipients interested in research and exploration of inundated with unsolicited requests. are selected each year, and a public the unknown to advance knowledge for In addition, our experience shows that announcement is made in early Fall. the sake of knowledge.” He argued, people readily provide frank impressions Names, photos and biographies of the “Recipients should be left alone without if they have an assurance that their Fellows are posted on MacArthur’s the annoyances and distractions imposed

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by grant applications, reviewing enough time period to allow them the migration and human mobility, and committees, and pressure to publish.” freedom to set their own agenda; and (e) population and reproductive health. This article became the focal point of leave them alone to work on whatever MacArthur grantees work in about 60 early discussions about the program. The they might choose, without any strings countries; the Foundation has offices in Burch article, and others like it, prompted attached to the use of the funds or any India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia. John MacArthur’s son, J. Roderick reporting requirements. MacArthur, who was also a member of The Program on Human and Community the Foundation’s Board, to propose the What other kinds of activities does Development addresses issues in the formation of the MacArthur Fellows the Foundation support? United States, including community and Program. He, along with other Board economic development; housing, with a The MacArthur Foundation supports members, met with representatives of focus on the preservation of affordable creative people and effective institutions other foundations and with scientists, rental housing; juvenile justice reform; committed to building a more just, humanists, and others to test this education, with an emerging interest in verdant, and peaceful world. In addition innovative idea. There were meetings digital media and learning; and policy to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the held in Chicago, New York, and research and analysis. Foundation works to defend human elsewhere, all devoted to exploring the rights, advance global conservation and idea, shaping it, testing it, and seeing The General Program supports public security, make cities better places, and how it might develop into a program. interest media, including public radio, understand how technology is affecting documentary programming, and work to children and society. This work is done The Board envisioned a program that explore the use of digital technologies to through three programs. would: (a) identify creative individuals with reach and engage the public. Grants are extraordinary promise for significant also made to arts and cultural institutions The Program on Global Security and accomplishment; (b) select these in the Chicago area and for special Sustainability focuses on international individuals from across a broad range of initiatives. issues, including human rights and fields and professions; (c) give them international justice, peace and security, enough money to live decently, so that conservation and sustainable development, they would not be required to take other higher education in Nigeria and Russia, work; (d) pay out this money over a long

For More Information About the MacArthur Foundation About the MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting Daniel J. Socolow the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global Director conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is MacArthur Fellows Program affecting children and society. More information is available at: www.macfound.org. (312) 726-8000 For more information or to sign up for our free electronic newsletter, please visit www.macfound.org.

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 140 South Dearborn St., Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois 60603-5285 Telephone: (312) 726-8000 www.macfound.org TDD: (312) 920-6285

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation September 2010