MacArthur Foundation Named 2026 Fellowship Recipients

The foundation has awarded $800,000 grants to 20 individuals to support their continued creative and research work.

Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Awards

Gouache-painted illustration of a brass microscope and a glass prism on a workbench, evoking the quiet rigor of scientific research. — The MacArthur Foundation has awarded $800,000 grants to 20 fellows, including NCAR scientist Marika Holland, to support their long-term creative and research initiatives. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The MacArthur Foundation unveiled its 2026 class of fellows, selecting 20 individuals who will each receive an $800,000 grant. These awards are distributed over a five-year period to support the recipients' ongoing professional efforts.

Why it matters

The fellowship provides recipients with significant financial flexibility to pursue their work without the burden of typical application requirements or project reporting constraints.

The grant program awards $800,000 to each of the 20 selected fellows, with funds dispersed over five years. This selection results from a yearslong vetting process that relies on external recommendations rather than direct applications.

The players

MacArthur Foundation

This private foundation provides grants to support creative and intellectual work through its fellowship program.

Marika Holland

She is an NCAR scientist based in Boulder, Colorado, who has spent 25 years studying polar regions.

The details

The foundation identifies its fellows through a rigorous, yearslong nomination and selection process that does not permit individuals to apply for the grant themselves. Among the 20 selected individuals is Marika Holland, an NCAR scientist based in Boulder, Colorado, who has worked at the organization for 25 years studying polar regions.

The MacArthur Foundation unveiled the 2026 fellow class in October 2026.

Culture Shift

The fellowship follows the MacArthur Foundation's non-application-based grant selection process, which serves as a departure from typical academic funding cycles. This approach prioritizes external recommendations over traditional applicant-driven competition to identify unique talent.

The grant awards provide recipients with the financial freedom to commit to long-term research and creative goals over the next five years. This influx of capital allows individual fellows to bypass standard administrative hurdles and focus on their specific areas of expertise.

The takeaway

These fellowships demonstrate how institutional support can empower professionals to pursue deep, long-term research. Individuals looking to support similar intellectual endeavors can monitor the foundation's annual announcements for insights into emerging fields of study.