The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the 2013 recipients of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

Thirteen organizations from five countries were recognized and, depending on the size of their budgets, will receive grants ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million to build their cash reserves and endowments, develop strategic plans, and/or upgrade technology and physical infrastructure. The award is designed to help ensure the long-term sustainability of grantees engaged in work central to MacArthur's core programs that have reached a critical or strategic point in their development while demonstrating exceptional creativity and effectiveness, strong leadership, and stable financial management.

This year's awardees are American Documentary in Brooklyn, New York ($1 million); Fundacion para la Sobrevivencia del Pueblo Cofan (Foundation for the Survival of the Cofan People) in Quito, Equador ($500,000); the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University ($750,000); Family Care International in New York City ($1 million); the Housing Partnership Network in Boston ($1.5 million); International Rivers in Berkeley, California ($750,000); Sin Fronteras in Mexico City ($500,000); the Socio Legal Information Centre in New Delhi, India ($750,000); the Southwest Organizing Project in Chicago ($750,000); the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. ($1 million); StoryCorps in Brooklyn, New York ($1 million); the Tobin Project in Cambridge, Massachusetts ($750,000); and Ushahidi in Nairobi, Kenya ($750,000).

"From New York to New Delhi, these extraordinary organizations are making a real difference in the lives of people and communities," said MacArthur Foundation president Robert Gallucci. "MacArthur recognizes their importance and impact, and we hope our investment will help ensure that they continue to thrive and to increase their reach in the future."