Otherwise known as MacArthur Genius grants, the purpose of this grant was to give particularly promising individuals a small break from the necessities of earning a living by giving them a one time $250,000 grant awarded to outstanding individuals in many fields.
The grant is given annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In recent years the award is now $500,000 awarded over a period of 3 years.
Some of the more famous people to have won include:
Also see: 2000 MacArthur genius grants and 2001 MacArthur Fellowships
Source:
http://www.macfound.org/
Last Updated 07.20.03