John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
$2,000,000 won
Narrative Approach
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.

Dr. Lisa Walker

Director of Systems Change

National Justice Reform Collaborative

52 upvotes

The Strategy

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 — criminal justice, climate, housing finance, local news. Show the system you are changing, the leverage point, and the theory of change. We will provide reentry services to 500 people is service delivery. We will change the bail system in 10 states, reducing pretrial detention by 50% is systems change. The big bet areas: MacArthur current big bets are (1) Climate Solutions, (2) Criminal Justice, (3) Nuclear Challenge, (4) Local News, and (5) 100&Change (a…

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