MacArthur Foundation Announces ‘100&Change’ Grant Competition

The Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation, best known for its “genius grant” fellowships that finance creative endeavors, announced on June 2 a new grant competition called “100&Change.” The $100 million grant will be awarded to a single proposal that contributes to “solving society’s most pressing problems.”  Unlike other competitions, such as XPRIZE moonshots, the foundation is not defining what societal challenge or issue it wants to address, but instead it has purposefully created 100&Change to challenge the notion that foundation grants tend to be too small for solving such problems, and to create “another space” with the award that will cover institutional blind spots and address a common problem in funding – obtaining money to take a good, proven idea that is either unnoticed or under-resourced and scale it up.

The MacArthur Foundation is looking for ideas or solutions that can work quickly and will demonstrate meaningful results within five years. The award could be used for something that needs a one-time infusion of cash, or serve as a launching point to entice other investors. The foundation intends to award $100 million every three years to help make one of these solutions a reality. For proposals that do not win, the hope is they might still attract backing or other forms of support as the application process is designed to provide visibility and expert feedback through a transparent selection process. 

The competition will consider applications/proposals from across the U.S. and from around the world. It is open to nonprofits, universities and the private sector, subject to eligibility. The winner of the 100&Change grant will be held accountable to complete the proposal submitted, and the funds will be distributed over multiple years as the grantee reaches designated milestones. Up to 10 semifinalists will be chosen by a panel of 25 judges from outside the foundation, including university leaders, industry leaders, and members of nonprofits and the private sector, who will evaluate the proposals and provide selection guidance.  All applications or proposals selected will be assisted by experts to refine their ideas and address questions about the technical and organizational capacity required to implement each proposed solution, as well as be asked to demonstrate “significant and authentic engagement” with affected communities.

Potential applicants must register by September 2 with proposals due October 3. Semifinalists will be announced in December 2016.  The MacArthur’s Board of Directors will select finalists in the summer of 2017, with the winner to be decided in the fall.

For more information on the 100&Change award, eligibility, or to participate in the competition see the MacArthur website.