Overview Principal Office: USA Key Words: biodiversity conservation, climate change, research, capacity building Website: Link The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation defines itself as supporting creative people and effective institutions to build a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is among the largest independent foundations in the USA. MacArthur makes grants in the USA and in about 60 other countries. In its international grant making, the program area of primary interest in the Terra Viva Grants Directory is “Conservation and Sustainable Development.” The program aims to advance ecosystem conservation and global environmental policy, with emphasis on the developing world. Grant Programs for Agriculture, Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources 1 -- Ecosystem Conservation. The Foundation provides funding support for ecosystem conservation in three world regions: (i) Great Lakes of East and Central Africa; (ii) Greater Mekong and its Headwaters; and (iii) Watersheds of the Andes. These are regions of global strategic importance for biodiversity conservation, water production, and carbon storage. 2 -- Coastal-Marine Conservation. MacArthur supports the “Locally Managed Marine Area” initiative in the Caribbean region, Madagascar, and Melanesia. The emphasis is community management of fisheries, marine habitats, and coastal resources. 3 -- Policy Support for Cross-Cutting Global Issues. MacArthur complements its regional conservation strategies with funding support for policy development in several key issues: (i) climate change mitigation and adaptation; (ii) understanding China’s consumption of natural resources in relation to the world’s supply regions; (iii) integrating environmental and social factors in commodities markets; and (iv) addressing the problems of illegal marine fisheries. About the program in Conservation and Sustainable Development. – Link Grant recipients in Conservation and Sustainable Development are conservation NGOs; international organizations; educational institutions; museums and botanical gardens; training institutes; research institutes; and other organizations which support biodiversity conservation in the subjects of priority for MacArthur. There are no restrictions by nationality, although applications from outside of the USA need to be screened to meet government policy requirements. Most grants range from US$50 thousand to US$800 thousand for periods of one to three years. APPLICATION for 1-2-3 above): The web page “Applying for Grants” explains the general guidelines of how to prepare and submit a cover letter and letter of inquiry (LOI) to MacArthur. – Link Each sub-program in Conservation and Development publishes specific guidelines for grant applicants, including a calendar for accepting LOIs. MacArthur identifies its staff members and contact information for each sub-program – Link MacArthur invites more information from applicants when reviewers of the LOI believe that the project concept has potential. Geographical Distribution of Grant Activities in Developing Countries Grant programs in Conservation and Sustainable Development are worldwide (i.e., the policy component) and bio-regional. Below we identify the countries in the programs comprising Mekong Basin, Great Lakes of Africa, and Andean Watersheds – using the regional classification of the Terra Viva Grants Directory. Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam East Asia: China Sub-Saharan Africa: Burundi, Dem Rep Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia Latin America and Caribbean: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela Notes: The grants for coastal-marine conservation are regional and national (i.e., Caribbean, Melanesia, and Madagascar). Comments In 2011, the grants budget for Conservation and Sustainable Development was US$17 million. Grant seekers should consult “Recent Grants” in Conservation and Sustainable Development for an overview of the projects that MacArthur supports. -- Link The strategy and focus areas in Conservation and Sustainable Development were recently revised. The remaining informational materials are expected to be posted online in year 2012. The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships of US$500 thousand each to highly talented individuals in any professional field to be used over five years. The competition is restricted to citizens or residents of the USA. Some previous Fellows have been important figures in international environmental conservation. -- Link Besides its main office in Chicago, the Foundation has regional offices in Mexico, Russia, Nigeria, and India. Complete contact information for all offices is available on the website. -- Link Last Profile Review February 2012 © Copyright protected. All rights reserved. Return to Foundations, Corporations, and Civil Society |
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John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation |