John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Philanthropic foundation funding social progress

Overview

Company Does Not Provide H1B Sponsorship

The MacArthur Foundation funds people, projects, and organizations to improve justice, the environment, and peace around the world. It provides major grants, fellowships, journalism support, and research funding to help creative individuals, strong institutions, and influential networks succeed in tackling big social challenges. Its approach relies on long-term endowment-based giving, targeted programs, and strategic partnerships to drive measurable progress rather than quick fixes. What makes it different is its large endowment, its focus on “big bets” across diverse areas (such as reducing over‑incarceration, climate action, nuclear risk, and expanding social-sector finance), and its emphasis on supporting journalism, place-based impact in Chicago, and knowledge generation. The Foundation’s goal is to create a more just, verdant, and peaceful world by amplifying creative talent, strengthening institutions, and mobilizing networks to address critical societal issues.

About John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Simplify's Rating
Why John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is rated
B-
Rated A on Competitive Edge
Rated C on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Social Impact

Education

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$158.9M

Headquarters

Chicago, Illinois

Founded

1978

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • MacArthur lifted 2025 charitable spend to $619 million, then budgeted $576 million for 2026.
  • The foundation pledged six-percent payout through 2026 after federal funding cuts.
  • June 12, 2025 Native self-determination and January 14, 2026 Hill hire expand Indigenous work.

What critics are saying

  • Climate Solutions ends in 2026, forcing staff and grantees into transition.
  • A 6% payout still leaves 2026 spend below 2025, squeezing partner budgets.
  • Federal excise-tax hikes or payout mandates would crush MacArthur's endowment model.

What makes John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation unique

  • John Palfrey's 2026 Big Bets framework pairs time-limited programs with enduring commitments.
  • Megan Minoka Hill launched Native self-determination on February 3, 2026.
  • MacArthur's 2025 Fellows program awards $800,000 unrestricted grants to 22 individuals.

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Funding

Total Funding

$158.9M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

0 Rounds

Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Remote Work Options

Performance Bonus

Company News

Philanthropy Massachusetts
Aug 11th, 2026
Philanthropy Massachusetts announces John Palfrey as keynote speaker for 57th Annual Conference.

Philanthropy Massachusetts announces John Palfrey as keynote speaker for 57th Annual Conference. philanthropy democracy BOSTON, August 11, 2026 - Philanthropy Massachusetts (PMA) today announced that John Palfrey, President of the MacArthur Foundation, will share insights and inspiration at PMA's 57th Annual Conference, taking place Tuesday, September 29th. This year's conference, In a Commonwealth of Firsts: Shaping What Comes Next, convenes funders and philanthropic advisors from across the region to learn, engage, act, and partner (LEAP). Massachusetts has long been a place where the ideas and practices of American democracy first took shape - debated, tested, and continually expanded. As the Commonwealth celebrates the nation's 250th anniversary, PMA is framing that history not just as something to commemorate, but as a responsibility to carry forward. The day will also mark the 55th anniversary of PMA's first pooled fund, the Summer Fund. Funders, philanthropic leaders, foundation board members, individual donors, and donor advisors committed to the people and communities of Massachusetts are invited to join. Registration details are available here. Philanthropy MA delivers excellent opportunities in learning, networking, access to resources and tools, skill-building, and community-building and serves as a bridge between funders and fund applicants for better understanding, efficiency and impact.

Yahoo
Aug 6th, 2026
MacArthur Foundation awards $1M to Factchequeado to strengthen Spanish-language journalism in US

Factchequeado has received a $1 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to strengthen Spanish-language journalism infrastructure in the United States. The two-year investment will expand the organisation's technology, partnerships, and capacity to help local newsrooms serve Latino communities. The funding will enable Factchequeado to produce and distribute verified information, develop community-centred technological solutions, train journalists, and strengthen a network of local media outlets serving Latino communities. The grant will also fund three new strategic roles: a product and artificial intelligence lead, a partnerships and communications lead, and an administration and finance lead. "This support represents an investment in the infrastructure that local Spanish-language media outlets need to better serve their communities," said Laura Zommer, co-founder and CEO of Factchequeado.

Delaware Business Now
Jul 27th, 2026
Taxpayer funds used in climate change research that detractors have criticized.

Taxpayer funds used in climate change research that detractors have criticized. (The Center Square) - Lawmakers in Congress and President Donald Trump scrutinized a nonprofit research academy that has received millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded federal grants while producing a report linking global energy companies to climate change. The National Academy for Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report titled "Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and their Impacts," which used attribution science to link greenhouse gas emissions from particular energy companies to local climate change events. The group does not receive direct congressional appropriations, instead it earns money from federal contracts and grants. In 2024, the national academy received more than $205 million in contracts from executive agencies. "The use of larger ensembles of climate model simulations is enabling researchers to more effectively separate the human-caused climate signal from natural variability," the report reads. President Donald Trump and lawmakers in Congress have called for an investigation into the national academy. The president ordered federal officials to review conduct of the academy. "Our taxpayers should not be funding Climate Fraud, and judges should never have relied upon it," Trump wrote on social media. The report ties human activity and greenhouse gases to increased local weather events, including El Nino patterns and hurricane activity. The research compares models with and without human-involved activities, including oil and gas drilling, to determine whether there is a link to increased climate variability. The academy reports are often used as reference manuals for federal agencies, the judiciary and other policymaking organizations and have been criticized in the past. The group has also received funding from several prominent organizations tied to climate change proponents. "Radar, satellite, and on-site observations have expanded in terms of area and length of time covered, resulting in additional data to support EEA analyses for many regions," the report reads. Reps. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Lauren Boebert, R-Col., and other lawmakers called on the Office of Management and Budget to cancel the National Academy's contracts with federal agencies. The lawmakers also highlighted the academy's lack of peer review on its climate change chapters and other published content. Lawmakers asserted the report's authors had conflcits of interest when writing the climate science chapters. "There are clear conflicts of interest as the climate science chapter was written by academics funded by the very same groups behind many climate lawsuits, including the for-profit law firm Sher Edling - best known for representing state and local governments in numerous lawsuits against oil and gas companies seeking enormous compensation for damages allegedly caused by climate change," the lawmakers wrote. The National Academy has received $32.4 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, $18.9 million from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, $15.9 million from the MacArthur Foundation and $11.7 million from the Hewlett Foundation, according to the group's financial disclosures. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has advocated for climate change policies including combatting "environmental racism," and "disproportinate pollution." Additionally the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation dedicated funds for a climate change museum, designed to link environmental issues to human causes. The MacArthur and Hewlett Foundations have called for greenhouse emissions to be halved by 2030 and at net zero by 2050. The report said it did not fully address the issues surrounding human-related climate change correlations and called for more investments to be made in the research and development. "The field is still an emerging area, with substantial opportunities to advance the methods and expand investigations internationally and across various impact types," the report reads. Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are expected to hear Suncor v. Boulder County Commissioners, a pivotal case examining whether state and local governments can prevent energy companies from engaging in global emissions activities that contribute to climate change. In Boulder County, officials attempted to institute nuisance laws to prevent energy companies like Suncor from emitting pollutants. Nuisance laws are typically used to deal with discrepancies between neighbors where an individual may be conducting business that harms another's property interest. "These issues directly contradict NASEM's own promises of integrity, objectivity, and independence from outside influence," the lawmakers wrote. * indicates required Email Format

Mountaineer Publishing Co. Inc.
Jul 27th, 2026
Taxpayer funds used in climate change research that detractors have criticized.

Taxpayer funds used in climate change research that detractors have criticized. (The Center Square) - Lawmakers in Congress and President Donald Trump scrutinized a nonprofit research academy that has received millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded federal grants while producing a report linking global energy companies to climate change. The National Academy for Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report titled "Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and their Impacts," which used attribution science to link greenhouse gas emissions from particular energy companies to local climate change events. The group does not receive direct congressional appropriations, instead it earns money from federal contracts and grants. In 2024, the national academy received more than $205 million in contracts from executive agencies. "The use of larger ensembles of climate model simulations is enabling researchers to more effectively separate the human-caused climate signal from natural variability," the report reads. President Donald Trump and lawmakers in Congress have called for an investigation into the national academy. The president ordered federal officials to review conduct of the academy. "Our taxpayers should not be funding Climate Fraud, and judges should never have relied upon it," Trump wrote on social media. The report ties human activity and greenhouse gases to increased local weather events, including El Nino patterns and hurricane activity. The research compares models with and without human-involved activities, including oil and gas drilling, to determine whether there is a link to increased climate variability. The academy reports are often used as reference manuals for federal agencies, the judiciary and other policymaking organizations and have been criticized in the past. The group has also received funding from several prominent organizations tied to climate change proponents. "Radar, satellite, and on-site observations have expanded in terms of area and length of time covered, resulting in additional data to support EEA analyses for many regions," the report reads. Reps. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Lauren Boebert, R-Col., and other lawmakers called on the Office of Management and Budget to cancel the National Academy's contracts with federal agencies. The lawmakers also highlighted the academy's lack of peer review on its climate change chapters and other published content. Lawmakers asserted the report's authors had conflcits of interest when writing the climate science chapters. "There are clear conflicts of interest as the climate science chapter was written by academics funded by the very same groups behind many climate lawsuits, including the for-profit law firm Sher Edling - best known for representing state and local governments in numerous lawsuits against oil and gas companies seeking enormous compensation for damages allegedly caused by climate change," the lawmakers wrote. The National Academy has received $32.4 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, $18.9 million from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, $15.9 million from the MacArthur Foundation and $11.7 million from the Hewlett Foundation, according to the group's financial disclosures. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has advocated for climate change policies including combatting "environmental racism," and "disproportinate pollution." Additionally the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation dedicated funds for a climate change museum, designed to link environmental issues to human causes. The MacArthur and Hewlett Foundations have called for greenhouse emissions to be halved by 2030 and at net zero by 2050. The report said it did not fully address the issues surrounding human-related climate change correlations and called for more investments to be made in the research and development. "The field is still an emerging area, with substantial opportunities to advance the methods and expand investigations internationally and across various impact types," the report reads. Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are expected to hear Suncor v. Boulder County Commissioners, a pivotal case examining whether state and local governments can prevent energy companies from engaging in global emissions activities that contribute to climate change. In Boulder County, officials attempted to institute nuisance laws to prevent energy companies like Suncor from emitting pollutants. Nuisance laws are typically used to deal with discrepancies between neighbors where an individual may be conducting business that harms another's property interest. "These issues directly contradict NASEM's own promises of integrity, objectivity, and independence from outside influence," the lawmakers wrote. (0 Ratings) Locations. Thank you for reading! Purchase a Subscription

Biology MCQs 360
Mar 10th, 2026
Youth Leadership Development Fund - Catalytic Grant

Youth Leadership development Fund - catalytic Grant. admin 5 days ago Last Updated: March 10, 2026 The Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) is a five-year collaborative initiative led by LEAP Africa, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Luminate Group. The programme aims to strengthen youth leadership in Nigeria by supporting meaningful policy engagement and inclusive resources that enable young people to shape the country's long-term development agenda. Key programme components. 1⃣ Imaginative Futures Working Group National and regional platforms that integrate youth-driven ideas into Nigeria's long-term planning and development processes. 2⃣ Youth Leadership Programme Focused on building the capacity of young leaders and youth-led organizations, while providing grants to support innovative projects within priority thematic areas. Discover more collaborative Collaboration 3⃣ Online & Media Engagement Strengthening the voices of young Nigerians through policy advocacy, debates, digital campaigns, and media engagement to advance the vision of #TheNigeriaWeWant. * Issued by: Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) * Focus: Strengthening the youth ecosystem and leadership development in Nigeria * Grant Value: Up to US$50,000 * Application Deadline: 31 March 2026 This funding opportunity supports initiatives that empower young Nigerians to actively participate in shaping inclusive, sustainable, and forward-looking national development. Click on Link

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