MacArthur Foundation Names 2026 'Genius Grant' Winners

The MacArthur Foundation has announced the 20 recipients of its 2026 fellowships, the prestigious awards known widely as "genius grants." Each fellow will receive an $800,000 stipend with no conditions attached.

The fellowships span the arts, humanities and sciences. The foundation awards the grants to individuals it judges to show exceptional creativity, and the money comes with no reporting requirements or project obligations — recipients may spend it however they choose.

The $800,000 prize is paid out over five years. The foundation raised the stipend from $625,000 to $800,000 in 2023, when it also shifted to announcing fellows twice a year.

Candidates cannot apply for the fellowship. A constantly changing pool of nominators across fields submits names anonymously, and an independent selection committee makes the final decisions. Recipients often learn of the award only when the foundation calls.

The program, established in 1981, has long served as one of the most significant forms of unrestricted support for creative and intellectual work in the United States. For artists in particular, the no-strings-attached model stands apart from most grantmaking, which typically ties funds to specific projects or deliverables.

The foundation describes the fellowships as an investment in people rather than projects, betting on the recipient's future potential rather than past accomplishment alone.

The 2026 cohort's full list of names had not been detailed in the announcement materials available at press time. The foundation traditionally publishes profiles of each fellow, outlining their work and the reasons for selection, alongside the announcement.

For the 20 new fellows, the award amounts to a rare commodity in the arts and sciences: money with no agenda, arriving at a moment of the recipient's own choosing to spend as they see fit.