Nonprofit
1 winning strategy
Verified wins
$2M typical award

John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Grants: How to Win Funding

1 verified winning strategy from grant writers funded by John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, covering Nonprofit.

Funder guideAll winning strategiesUpdated 2026-10-06

Winning strategies for John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

1 strategy contributed by grant writers who won funding here, all verified wins. Each summary is free — the full tactic unlocks with an account.

Narrative Approach
$2,000,000 won
Verified win

MacArthur Foundation: the big bet and systems-change framing

The MacArthur Foundation makes big bets on systems change — not incremental program grants. Frame your proposal as a transformative intervention that changes a system, not as a service delivery project.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has shifted toward big bets — large, multi-year investments in systems change. Their current big bets include climate, criminal justice reform, nuclear challenge, and local news. If your proposal is a $100K project grant, MacArthur is likely not your funder. If it is a $5M systems-change initiative, you are in their lane. The systems-change framing: MacArthur funds interventions that change systems —…

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Dr. Lisa Walker, Director of Systems Change 52
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