The MacArthur Fellows program awards the Genius Endowment, a mysterious grant that supports creativity in various fields. Recipients are chosen by a nominating board of experts, and winners are notified by telephone. The award is not based on IQ tests or intelligence measures and has been given to individuals in diverse fields. Past recipients include filmmaker John Sayles and zoologist Robert Payne.
A genius grant is a term commonly used to describe the award given to participants in the MacArthur Fellows program. The Genius Endowment, given annually since 1981, is a somewhat mysterious award that gives accepted applicants financial support in hopes of stimulating and encouraging their careers. MacArthur Fellowship winners come from diverse walks of life and fields of study, including poets, playwrights, molecular biologists, anthropologists, mathematicians, and composers, among many others.
The MacArthur foundation is a large organization based in Chicago that offers a variety of grant programs. The founders, John and Catherine MacArthur, were an extremely successful couple who created the organization to support creativity in many areas. While most grants offered by the MacArthur Foundation are awarded through a lengthy application and review process, the genius grant process is a little more complex.
The process for receiving a genius grant is somewhat elusive to the outside observer. A nominating board of about 100 experts suggests possible candidates to receive the grant. The board narrows down nominees to multiple recipients, typically between 20-40 individuals. Winners are notified by telephone and generally have no prior knowledge of their nomination. According to the MacArthur Foundation, winners are informed that the financial reward is given to support continued creativity and excellence, but is not based on specific past accomplishments or the expectation of later reward.
The term “grand genius” comes from common usage and is not the preferred term of the MacArthur Foundation. While recipients are generally recognized as exceptional talents in their fields, the award is not based on IQ tests or any form of intelligence measure. This can lead to some confusion, as some recipients have commented that they are expected to excel in everything from theoretical physics to board games, even though their Genius Award was given in recognition of skill as a choreographer.
MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipients have an extraordinary record of success and achievement. Past recipients include filmmaker John Sayles, whose celebrated work as a screenwriter and director spans decades and genres. Robert Payne, a renowned zoologist and conservationist who discovered the pattern and attributes of humpback whale song, received a Genius Award in 1984. In 2006, a MacArthur colleague was Dr. D. Holmes Morton, a physician dedicated to improving children’s medicine. and already well known for his studies of genetic disorders of children in Amish and Mennonite communities.
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