MacArthur Foundation
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MacArthur Foundation

Grantmaking & Charitable Foundations

Apt Insight

They offer mission-driven philanthropic work paired with exceptional benefits and a healthy work-life balance, making it a highly respected workplace. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the organization is one of the largest independent foundations in the United States, operating in the grantmaking and charitable foundations sector. They employ a small-to-medium sized staff with additional international offices in India, Mexico, and Nigeria. Hiring activity is measured, with only a handful of active roles currently open.
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About

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration, global climate change, nuclear risk, and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy, as well as the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. MacArthur is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. Organizations supported by the Foundation work in about 50 countries. In addition to Chicago, MacArthur has offices in India, Mexico, and Nigeria.
Founded1970
HeadquartersChicago, US
IndustryGrantmaking & Charitable Foundations
Websitewww.macfound.org
Employees330

Open roles at MacArthur Foundation

3 open roles, newest first.
Managing Director, People & CultureChicago, Illinois · Hybrid
Analyst, Fixed Income and Alpha StrategiesChicago, Illinois · Hybrid
Associate General CounselChicago, Illinois · Hybrid

Why people join & leave

Why join
Industry-leading benefits and compensationHigh-impact philanthropic missionExcellent work-life balanceCollaborative and mission-aligned colleagues
Why leave
Limited room for vertical mobilityInflexible upward requirements without a PhDOccasional gaps in constructive feedbackLow in-office engagement from remote flexibility

Company Pulse

Headcount
-10%past year

In the News

Dedicating $750 Million to Impact Investments - MacArthur Foundationmacfound.org · Oct 8, 2026
MacArthur Foundation’s ‘impact banker’ gets a $750 million mandate, up 50% - ImpactAlphaimpactalpha.com · Oct 8, 2026
This year's MacArthur 'geniuses' include scholars and artists who confront history | PBS Newspbs.org · Sep 29, 2026
Value in Working Together: Institutional and Corporate Philanthropy - MacArthur Foundationmacfound.org · Sep 22, 2026
Banking Designed for People with Disabilities - MacArthur Foundationmacfound.org · Sep 15, 2026

Employee Experience

4.4/5
Career Opportunities
3.7
Compensation & Benefits
4.4
Culture & Values
4.3
Diversity & Inclusion
4.2
Senior Management
3.9
Work-Life Balance
4.5

Quick Take

Strengths
Superb benefits packageRated 88 out of 100 for compensation and benefits, with reviewers consistently praising perks like alternating Fridays off.
Strong work-life balanceHolds an exceptional 90 out of 100 rating for work-life balance alongside high overall employee retention.
Expanded impact capitalAnnounced a 50% increase in its impact-investing mandate to $750 million to be deployed starting in 2027.
Watch out
Lagging business outlookBusiness outlook sits at 60 out of 100, marking the foundation's lowest internal sentiment metric.

Things to consider

Slow vertical mobility — High employee retention and flat organizational structures leave limited room for upward career advancement.
Credential-heavy advancement — Staff note that advancing into senior programmatic roles often requires advanced academic credentials like a PhD.

Leadership

JD
John D. MacArthurFounder
CT
Catherine T. MacArthurFounder
JC
John CorballyFirst President
AS
Adele SimmonsFormer President
JF
Jonathan FantonFormer President
RL
Robert L. GallucciFormer President
JS
Julia StaschFormer President

What They Build

MacArthur Foundation develops internal tools and data systems to support global grantmaking, impact investments, and program evaluations. Technical efforts focus on enterprise data management, business intelligence dashboards, and grant workflow automation. Engineering teams prioritize reliable reporting, CRM integrations, and data integrity across multi-million dollar capital allocations.
Grantmaking Systems
Impact Investment Analytics
Data Management
Enterprise Workflow
Domains
Data Engineering
Business Intelligence
Systems Development
Database Administration
Tech Stack
Python
SQL
Microsoft Power BI
Tableau
Salesforce
Fluxx Grantmaker
ArcGIS
Jira
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