Deciding on what to do with their vast fortune, couple John and Catherine MacArthur took the advice of William T. Kirby, John MacArthur’s attorney and Paul Doolen and created the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation in 1978.

The MacArthurs owned Bankers Life and Casualty, properties in New York and Florida, as well as other businesses. Prior to his death, John D. MacArthur stated in his will that his wife Catherine, along with Paul Doolen, William T. Kirby, J. Roderick MacArthur, and several of his executives should compose the Foundation’s first Board of Directors.

Since its inception, the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation already gave more than $4 billion in grants and endowments, with an annual average of $300 million.

The John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation focuses its resources to four major programs – Global Security and Sustainability, Human and Community Development, General grant-making, and the MacArthur Fellows Program. Among of the Foundation’s interests include international peace and security, conservation and sustainable development, population control, reproductive health, and affordable housing programs.

The MacArthur Fellows Program is the Foundation’s flagship award given annually to 20 to 40 citizens or residents of the United States who demonstrate notable merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work. The Foundation clearly states that the MacArthur Fellows Program is not a prize for a person’s past achievement, but an investment on that person’s potential.

The John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation has worked in partnership with other family-owned nonprofit institutions, notably the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Carnegie Corporation and the Rockefeller Foundation. One of their noteworthy collaborations is The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, an educational program designed for higher education institutions in six African countries.

Today, the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation is the largest nonprofit organization in Chicago and ranks as one of the 10 largest private philanthropies in the U.S.

Additional information on the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation:

John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation is helping to build digital media and learning.

The Foundation is studying the socioeconomic effects on health.

A brief history of the Foundation on the Learning to Give website.

Post Author: guest

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 4:03 pm and is filed under Philanthropic Organizations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.