The MacArthur Fellows Program finds brilliant minds each year to reward them for their accomplishments. Unlike other projects, the MacArthur doesn’t stick to a constant number of winners nor does it have interest for specific disciplines. Therefore, the program has full freedom to choose only the rightful. This year’s edition picked 24 esteemed names in their field who earned their Genius grants through hard work and insightful visions.
Each Winner of the Genius Grants Will Receive $625,000 over Five Years
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is recognized as the 12th biggest private foundation in America. However, each year the organization redirects almost $270 million towards grants and meaningful investments.
This year’s MacArthur Fellows Program held true to its purpose to reward people with “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.” The grants went to people of vision who are trying to redefine their disciplines every day.
Therefore, the grants went to a vast plethora of fields. For instance, there is Gabriel Victoria, an immunologist, Emmanuel Candes who works as a mathematician or painter Njideka Akunyili.
Each of the 24 chosen ones will receive a total of $625,000. The foundation sees this endowment as another investment. However, these invested funds are not expecting profit but an improvement in human society.
On top of that, the MacArthur Foundation will release the money over a period of five years. Nonetheless, the winners are in no way constrained to spend their bounty to a certain purpose.
The Funds Will Help Visionary Minds to Get the Necessary Resources to Force Their Work Towards New Directions
Jason De León is one of this year’s winners of the genius grants. He is an anthropologist with a particular interest in the objects the people who cross the U.S.-Mexico border leave behind. He created quite a collection out of these fragments.
Jason claimed that he already knows how to spend the MacArthur funds. They will help the 40-year-old scientist get done with his student loans.
“But you know, really, we see this grant as a way to facilitate the work that we’re doing even more and to push it in new directions.”
Therefore, Jason is going to push new advancements in his field with the remaining funds. Head over to MacArthur Foundation official web page to learn more about the work of the other 23 inspiring minds.
Image source: 1
