The six finalists in the latest installment of the MacArthur Foundation’s $100 million grant competition include efforts to send legions of reporters to America’s “news deserts,” create marine reserves to protect undersea life, and use technology to connect health workers in remote areas with medical specialists .
In 2017 the $100 million in MacArthur’s first “100&Change” competition was split between Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee to develop children’s television programming and educational lessons for young children who were victims of the war in Syria. MacArthur started the program so it could make deep investments in ideas for social change that aren’t part of its existing grant-making strategy.
The winner will be announced in April.
In February the foundation winnowed 755 applications down to the 100 most promising approaches. As the coronavirus spread, those organizations were asked to assess the risk the pandemic might have on their operations and what changes they would need to make to respond to the crisis.
The six finalists are:
- The Clinton Health Access Initiative & Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, which proposes to bring oxygen equipment to hospitals in five African nations.
- Community Solutions, which would use real time-data to try to end homelessness in 75 communities in the United States.
- National Geographic’s Pristine Seas, which would restore ocean life by setting aside marine reserve areas.
- Project ECHO, which would use technology in areas that have few doctors to connect health professionals with specialists.
- Report for America, which would send 1,800 reporters to work at news outlets throughout the United States.
- World Mosquito Program, which would work to prevent the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.
Some of the finalists had to rethink parts of their strategy because of the pandemic, said Cecilia Conrad, who directs the program for MacArthur and is chief executive of Lever of Change, a separate organization that manages grant competitions.
For instance, the World Mosquito Program has had to reconsider logistical issues for distributing insects used in tests, and the Pristine Seas project’s incorporation of tourism as way to promote marine reserves needs some reworking in the era of Covid, Conrad said.
Over the coming months MacArthur and outside consultants will work with each of the finalists to more thoroughly develop their applications. During this phase, the finalists will be coached on ways to ensure their work advances equity and inclusion based on race and disability and receive advice on how to have the biggest impact possible.
The pandemic has shined a spotlight on a variety of social and environmental problems, Conrad said. For instance, the lack of news outlets inhibits the flow of reliable information about the virus, she said, and the pandemic has hit homeless populations especially hard. However, pivoting to directly address Covid will not necessarily give a group an advantage, she said.
“All six are really compelling in terms of addressing critical issues that society faces, whether it is Covid-related or not.”
The applications were judged based on their feasibility, the ability to measure their success, and whether they could generate lasting change for many people. MacArthur’s staff reviewed the applications, which were then vetted by a panel of experts. Applicants were also asked to provide feedback on other applications in a peer-to-peer review process.
