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How To Apply For Grants
The best first step in applying for a grant is to submit a one-page summary and a two- to three-page letter of inquiry. With the exception of grants made through the Conservation and Sustainable Development area, there are no deadlines for submitting letters of inquiry. Please do not send the letter of inquiry by fax. Send it by mail to the Office of Grants Management at the Foundation's Chicago address or by e-mail to LOI@macfound.org. Letters of inquiry about population projects in India, Mexico, or Nigeria should be sent to the MacArthur office in that country. Letters about work related to Russia may be sent to the Moscow or Chicago office.
There are exceptions to the letter of inquiry process, which involve separate application procedures. They are:
- For information about applying for a Program-Related Investment click here
- For information about the Research and Writing Grants Competition (open to candidates world-wide), click here
- For information about applying for an Individual Research and Writing Grant (open to citizens of the Russian Federation and Post-Soviet States only), click here
This summary page should provide:
- Information regarding who will carry out the work
- Name of your organization (and acronym if commonly used)
- Name of parent organization, if any
- Name of chief executive officer or person holding similar position
- Organization's address (and courier address if different)
- Organization's phone number, fax number, and e-mail address, if any
- Name and title of the principal contact person, if different from the above
- Address (and courier address if different), phone number, fax number, and e-mail address, if any, of principal contact
- Web address, if any
There is no set format, but letters of inquiry generally include the following:
- Name or topic of the proposed project or work to be done
- A brief statement (two or three sentences) of the purpose and nature of the proposed work
- The significance of the issue addressed by the project and how it relates to a stated MacArthur program strategy
- How the work will address the issue
- How the issue relates to your organization, and why your organization is qualified to undertake the project
- Geographic area or country where the work will take place
- Time period for which funding is requested
- Information about those who will be helped by and interested in the work and how you will communicate with them
- Amount of funding requested from MacArthur and total cost (estimates are acceptable)
You are welcome to enclose attachments that you feel would help the Foundation understand your project.
We will send you an acknowledgment that your letter of inquiry was received, and we will direct it to the appropriate staff members for review. If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly.
If the Foundation decides that your project might qualify for a grant, we will contact you to discuss next steps and what further information is required.
All material submitted becomes the property of the MacArthur Foundation. The Foundation sometimes submits inquiries or proposals to confidential outside review.
For those seeking support through the Foundation's Conservation and Sustainable Development program area, there are important deadlines for submitting letters of inquiry. Click here for details. All other program areas, aside from the exception noted above, accept applications throughout the year.
Please note that the Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation. We do not provide scholarships or tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate studies; nor do we support annual fundraising drives, institutional benefits, honorary functions, or similar projects.
A search of the Donors Forum web site identified five (5) Chicago organizations to which the MacArthur Foundation made grants in 2001 (the most recent year available) for purposes of "Employment, Jobs."
| Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. |
$100,000.00 |
| Chicago Women in Trades |
$225,000.00 |
| Chicago Workforce Board |
$45,000.00 |
| Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) |
$50,000.00 |
| Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) |
$250,000.00 |
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