To extend the reach of new ideas and creative thinking, the MacArthur Fellows Program makes a handful of small grants to organizations each year to support public-facing programming featuring two or more Fellows.
The programming—including panels, performances, and conversations—originates with the MacArthur Fellows and is hosted and curated by independent, nonprofits in partnership with participating Fellows. The initiative provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement, which can lead to new collaborations and provide fresh inspiration and approaches for addressing real world problems, while simultaneously exposing the public to the work of MacArthur Fellows. Learn more about applying for event funding.
We invite you to discover new work and exciting possibilities through your participation in an event.
Thursday, March 13
Location
Smith College Conference Center
Northampton, MA
Reproductive Justice Futurisms Think Tank Convening, including a panel with Fellows Dorothy Roberts (2024), Byllye Avery (1989) and Loretta Ross (2022). The event brings together industry experts, scholars, students, and front-line workers to discuss topics at the intersection of reproductive justice, technology, and human rights.
Saturday, March 29
11:30 A.M.
Location
Knoxville, Tennessee
A public conversation between Fellows musical artists Claire Chase (2012) and Tyshawn Sorey (2017) moderated by renowned music journalist Nate Chinen, which will reflect on Sorey’s transformational engagement with the International Contemporary Ensemble and explore Chase’s multi-decade commissioning project, Density 2035.
Friday, April 11
7:00 p.m. ET
Location
Artists Space
11 Cortlandt Alley, New York 10013
A conversation between MacArthur Fellows artist Carolyn Lazard (2023) and activist Loretta J. Ross (2022) addressing Black women’s health and the Black maternal mortality crisis. This public event is part of a two-part program series—conceived in conjunction with the exhibition Carolyn Lazard: Two-Way—where broader conversations on debility, care, and Black reproduction can unfold and extend beyond the exhibition.
Saturday, April 12
12:00 p.m. ET
Location
Other Suns Café and Marketplace
414 Laura Wall Blvd., Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101
A live public event bringing together MacArthur Fellows Tressie McMillan Cottom (2020), Kiese Laymon (2022), and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (2021) who will read from their memoirs and share reflections and works-in-progress about identity, place, and the many meanings of home in conversation with the community that anchored the Winston Salem chapter of the Black Panther Party, the first Southern chapter of the Party. The event will be recorded, and with additional interviews and footage, compiled into a short documentary exploring aging, legacy, and resistance in radical social movements.
Saturday, April 26
6:00-9:00 p.m. PT
Location
Sydney Goldstein Theatre
275 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Fellows An-My Lê (2012) and Viet Thanh Nguyen (2017) will be speaking in a discussion moderated by Lien Hang Nguyen at Still We Rise, an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, which has deep meaning for the Southeast Asian community and is an important part of American history. With this event, DVAN seeks to empower the voices of Vietnamese Americans and educate society at large about unique experiences and perspectives.
Applying for Event Funding
The Fellows Program makes grants to qualifying organizations seeking to host public events that feature MacArthur Fellows.
Eligible events:
- Are free and open to the public
- Involve two or more Fellows in different fields or who work toward a shared goal (e.g., climate change, the changing nature of work, elevating the contributions of disabled women, etc.).
- Are hosted by 501(c)(3) organizations or non-U.S. equivalents
These events are often initiated by the Fellows and can take many forms, including talks, panels, performances, or exhibitions. The Fellows Program does not and cannot program events or suggest speakers for events. Proposed events can be in-person (as conditions allow), virtual, or a hybrid.
Organizations eligible for grant support must apply with the assent and commitment to participate from the MacArthur Fellows and must be able to exercise supervision, direction, and control over the use of any grant funds.
Contact us if you represent a qualifying organization and would like to learn more.