The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced that nine organizations in five countries—including two in Chicago—will receive the first annual MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
These non-profit organizations’ missions are diverse: from finding permanent jobs for ex-offenders in The Windy City to promoting police reform in Nigeria. Each organization will receive up to $500,000.
Among the Chicago recipients are the North Lawndale Employment Network and the Chicago Rehab Network. Other honorees include the CLEEN Foundation of Lagos, Nigeria and Mexico City’s Fundar: Centro de Análisis e Investigación, which specializes in HIV/AIDS education and prevention, among other things.
In making these new awards, the foundation does not seek or accept nominations. To qualify, organizations must demonstrate exceptional creativity and effectiveness; have reached a critical or strategic point in their development; have budgets of less than $2.5 million a year; show strong leadership and stable financial management; and have previously received MacArthur Foundation support, so that further legal review is not required.
Winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in Chicago on Oct. 5. In conjunction with this ceremony, the foundation will organize a series of seminars on the work of these organizations that will be open to other non-profit institutions.
For more info, see www.macfound.org.