For our funding areas of the Built Environment, Economic Opportunity for the Working Poor, Government Accountability/Investigative Reporting, Small Museums and Cultural Centers, the Foundation accepts no unsolicited proposals, but welcomes letters of inquiry and phone calls. We tend not to fund large organizations with multi-million dollar budgets. The great majority of our grants go to organizations residing in, and working in, the Chicago metropolitan area. We tend not to fund: arts education or arts outreach; community theater and community dance; public, private or parochial education, and health care.

For current grant recipients and for those asked for full proposals: deadlines for 2010 submissions are: March 1, July 1, and November 1. Decisions are usually announced 4 to 5 months later. These deadlines do not apply to either arts and culture groups with budgets under $500,000 or to small theater and dance companies with budgets under $150,000. Please read below for those guidelines.

Arts and culture groups with budgets under $500,000 wishing to learn more about the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and/or apply to it, can download the guidelines and application by clicking Request For Proposal and Application. For questions regarding the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture, please call or write to Richard Cahan (you can call him on his cell phone at 847-722-9244). The 2010 deadline for performing arts groups in theater, dance and music will be Monday, March 1. The 2010 deadline for all other arts organizations, such as visual and media arts; literary arts; interdisciplinary arts; special projects; museums, and service, policy or advocacy groups will be Tuesday, June 1.

Small theater and dance companies with budgets under $150,000 wishing to learn more about our funding program, and/or apply to it, can download the guidelines, application, and budget. The 2010 deadlines for the Small Theater & Dance Program are 5:00 pm on Monday, May 3, and 5:00 pm on Monday, September 13.  For questions regarding the Small Theater & Dance Program, please call or write to Peter Handler. For all general inquiries, please write to Kim Romero.