The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will increase its giving in response to what it calls a “crisis" prompted by the Trump administration’s freeze on federal foreign aid and the now- suspended freeze on federal grants.

Chicago has a pair of newly minted geniuses. Multimedia artist Ebony G. Patterson and fiction writer Ling Ma are among 22 scientists, artists and scholars who have been awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship.

Rina Foygel Barber, 40, was announced as one of the newest members of the “genius grant” fellowship, which provides recipients with a $800,000 no-strings-attached award over five years to spend however they want.

Reuben Jonathan Miller, a sociologist, criminologist and social worker, whose work studies the long-term impacts of incarceration on individuals and their families, was awarded a MacArthur fellowship. 

Three Chicago residents were among the group honored this year. One of those honorees is Amanda Williams, an artist who uses color and architecture to explore issues of race and the built environment. 

The Chicago-based foundation announced Wednesday that it increased the “no strings attached” award amount each honoree receives from $625,000 to $800,000 over five years. Fellows do not need to report back to the foundation about how they spend the money.

Jacqueline Stewart is a film scholar, archivist and curator who has been honored by the MacArthur Foundation for “ensuring that the contributions of overlooked Black filmmakers and communities of spectators have a place in the public imagination.” 

A historian devoted to keeping alive the stories of long-dead victims of racial violence along the Texas-Mexico border and a civil rights activist whose mission is to make sure people who leave prison are free to walk into the voting booth are among this year’s MacArthur fellows.

Writers, sociologists, scientists, a documentary filmmaker, a legal scholar and an environmental health advocate are among the luminaries named this year. The Chicago-based foundation has awarded the grants every year since 1981.

Emmanuel Pratt will use a South Side community farm he developed as a “living laboratory” to teach students about contemporary sustainability initiatives. 

An urban designer from Chicago and one of the city’s longtime illustrators are among the 2019 MacArthur fellows and recipients of the prestigious “genius grant.” 

Sociologist Rebecca Sandefur has received the prestigious award for her research on the hurdles low-income communities face when seeking civil justice. She joins us in discussion.

Two of the 24 professionals named 2017 MacArthur Foundation fellows are from Chicago. We speak with Dawoud Bey and Rami Nashashibi.

We meet photographer and video artist LaToya Ruby Frazier and Juan Salgado, president and CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino.

The MacArthur Foundation recently announced their 21 Genius grants winners, and five have Chicago connections. We sit down with two of  the winners to learn more about their work and their reactions to the $625,000 award. 

Tarell Alvin McCraney, an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre, was the recipient of a $625,000 “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation this year. We revisit our conversation with him. Read an interview.