This Year's MacArthur 'Geniuses' Include a Musician, Painter and Economist All Confronting History
The 20 fellows span the arts and sciences and will receive unrestricted grants to pursue work on climate, history, justice and human health.
- On Tuesday, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation unveiled its 2026 class of 20 fellows, each receiving $800,000 over five years in recognition of their exceptional creativity.
- Unlike traditional grants, the MacArthur Foundation program does not accept applications, instead relying on an ever-changing list of outside nominators whose recommendations are reviewed by a confidential committee.
- Among the recipients are 29-year-old New York-based saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, who explores historical injustice through music, and Princeton University labor economist Ellora Derenoncourt, who researches racial wealth disparities.
- These no-strings-attached awards provide the flexibility necessary for recipients to pursue their artistic or scholarly visions, which foundation officials state helps "expand the edges of scientific inquiry."
- This year's fellows, spanning four decades in age and three continents, show a particular interest in history as researchers and artists work to address systemic inequality and historical erasure.
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The Toronto Star
The MacArthur Foundation’s ‘genius’ fellows: The full 2026 class list
NEW YORK (AP) — The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation unveiled its 2026 class of fellows on Tuesday, an interdisciplinary list of 20 individuals ranging from artists to scientists.
This year’s MacArthur ‘geniuses’ include a musician, painter and economist all confronting history
NEW YORK (AP) — Immanuel Wilkins was riding the Amtrak from New York to Philadelphia when he got a call from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. But he said he had to wait to deboard the train…
This year's MacArthur 'geniuses' include a musician, painter and economist all confronting history
NEW YORK (AP) — Immanuel Wilkins was riding the Amtrak from New York to Philadelphia when he got a call from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. But he said he had to wait to deboard the train to find out if it was life-changing news or not.
Georgia Public Broadcasting
nprMeet the 20 scholars and artists who've just won MacArthur Fellowships
A historian who studies wage gaps between races and a saxophonist whose live performances include a chef are among the latest recipients of the philanthropic group's annual, no-strings-attached $800,000 grants.
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