Mission:
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. The MacArthur Foundation seeks the development of healthy individuals and effective communities, peace within and among nations, responsible choices about human reproduction, and a global ecosystem capable of supporting healthy human societies. The foundation pursues this mission by supporting research, policy development, dissemination, education and training, and practice.

Purpose of Site:
The recently redesigned MacArthur Foundation Web site provides convenient access to information on the foundation's grants and programs. It also communicates the organization's funding priorities and information on current initiatives, offers guidance to grantseekers, and makes organizational and financial information available to the press.

Background:
The MacArthur Foundation was created in 1978 by John D. MacArthur (1897-1978), who developed and owned Bankers Life and Casualty Company and other businesses, as well as considerable property in Florida and New York. His wife Catherine (1909-1981) held positions in many of these companies and served as a director of the foundation. One of the nation's ten largest foundations, the MacArthur Foundation today has assets of $4.2 billion and makes grants totaling approximately $175 million annually.

Home Page:
The foundation's Web site provides information about the organization and its grantmaking programs, which include: the Program on Human and Community Development; the Program on Global Security and Sustainability; the General Program; and the MacArthur Fellows Program, which awards five-year unrestricted fellowships to individuals across all ages and fields who show exceptional merit and promise of continued and enhanced creative work.

Outstanding Feature:
Each of the foundation's grantmaking programs has its own area on the Web site which highlights an overview of the particular program, its grantmaking priorities, funding criteria, important contacts, ongoing projects, and downloadable grant proposal guidelines. In addition, each area provides a searchable database of information on organizations and/or programs that have already received funding from the foundation.

Honorable Mention:
The site's Speeches, Papers & Presentations area hosts an archive of full-length papers and speeches made by foundation staff members. Visitors will find papers on a wide range of topics delivered by foundation president Jonathan F. Fanton.