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	February 2011

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In this issue: Preventing Nuclear Terrorism Read more ›› Supporting Research on How Housing Matters Read more ›› Small Organizations, Large Impact Read more ›› Innovative Chicago Charter School to Open in Fall Read more ››

Preventing Nuclear Terrorism MacArthur is awarding grants totaling nearly $4 million for efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism and strengthen regional nuclear stability in South Asia. Most of the new grants support projects to ensure that growth in nuclear power does not also increase the availability of fissile material that a nation or terrorist group would need to make a nuclear weapon. "Enthusiasm for the clean energy benefits of nuclear energy is outpacing arrangements needed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons capability," said Foundation President Robert Gallucci, an expert on nuclear security issues. "A major goal of MacArthur’s grantmaking is to integrate nonproliferation constraints into both U.S. nuclear energy policy and the global nuclear fuel cycle to minimize the prospects for theft or diversion of fissile materials, highly enriched uranium or plutonium." Five organizations are receiving support to work on issues related to fissile materials security and the nuclear fuel cycle: The Nuclear Threat Initiative ($1 million) for activities to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons, including the launch of a nuclear materials security benchmarking project that will produce an index assessing the level of materials security on a country-by-country basis. The index will recognize states that have improved security and identify a path for those with ongoing shortfalls; The Center for Strategic and International Studies ($800,000) to study U.S. and international fuel cycle trends and then recommend steps that U.S. policymakers might take to produce a future international fuel cycle that is less proliferation-prone; The International Institute for Strategic Studies ($535,000) to strengthen cooperation on nuclear security issues between China’s policymaking and strategic communities and their Western counterparts; The Nonproliferation Policy Education Center ($400,000) to evaluate the security risks associated with nuclear power and to make recommendations for U.S. policy, aimed at reducing those risks; and The Center for Policy Studies in Russia-PIR Center ($600,000) to help increase the pool of Russia security experts and support policy research aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism. An additional grant to the Henry L. Stimson Center ($650,000) will support efforts to analyze adverse nuclear trends and recommend ways to establish deterrence stability in South Asia. MacArthur has been making grants to reduce the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction for more than 25 years. Early on, the Foundation supported research and track-two diplomacy between U.S. and Soviet policy experts and scientists, which helped facilitate nuclear arms control successes during the Cold War and laid the foundation for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In the early 1990s, MacArthur grantees developed the conceptual framework for Cooperative Threat Reduction programs that helped Russia and other former Soviet states reduce stockpiles and secure nuclear weapons and fissile materials. Today, through grants to policy research institutions worldwide, MacArthur aims to reduce global risks from nuclear weapons, with particular emphasis on preventing nuclear terrorism. Read the press release ›› For more information About MacArthur's international peace and security grantmaking ›› Recent international peace and security grants ›› Robert Gallucci on "Responding to the Global Nuclear Threat" ››

Supporting Research on How Housing Matters Nine MacArthur grants totaling $5.6 million will support research to explore the role housing plays in the long-term health and well-being of children, families, and communities. Recipients will mine and connect existing data sets, such as the U.S. Census and school statistics, in new ways to reveal insights into the effectiveness of housing policies and related public programs. The projects, selected through a competitive process from a pool of 150 applicants, are part of the Foundation's $25 million initiative on How Housing Matters to Families and Communities. The initiative is based on the premise that stable, affordable housing is an essential platform that promotes positive outcomes in education, employment, and physical health by helping to ensure a greater return from other social and public investments. The goal is to help policymakers better direct increasingly scarce public resources to enhance housing outcomes and to achieve broader goals of healthier, better educated, and more successful families and communities. Read the press release ›› For more information About the grant recipients ›› About the How Housing Matters research initiative ›› MacArthur's grantmaking in affordable housing ››

Small Organizations, Large Impact Meet the winners of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. From fighting poverty in the U.S. to improving maternal and child health in India, these 11 organizations in six countries are driving significant change on modest budgets. The awards, announced last month, recognize exceptional Foundation grantees and help ensure their sustainability with grants of $350,000 to $1 million. Learn more by reading media coverage of these extraordinary organizations by the Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal Asia, Crain's Chicago Business, Kuensel Online (Bhutan), and CIMAC Noticias (Mexico). Read profiles of the organizations ›› For more information About the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions ›› Additional press coverage ›› Past Award recipients ››

Innovative Chicago Charter School to Open in Fall  ChicagoQuest, the first of three planned 6-12th grade charter public schools in Chicago with a curriculum based on systems thinking and game design, will open this fall. Operated by Chicago International Charter School, ChicagoQuest seeks to re-imagine learning, providing students with a rigorous curriculum that requires creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and productive collaboration. The school will prepare students to succeed in college and careers of their choice and to be active and sophisticated participants in a globally connected, digitized world. The school, supported by MacArthur, adapts an innovative education model currently being implemented in a New York City public school, Quest to Learn, which also is supported by the Foundation. Read the press release ›› For more information   PDF: Frequently asked questions about ChicagoQuest ››   [PDF, 2 pg] About MacArthur's digital media and learning grantmaking ›› Recent digital media and learning grants ››

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society.

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | 140 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois 60603-5285 Phone: (312) 726-8000 | TDD: (312) 920-6285 | www.macfound.org | 4answers@macfound.org | © Copyright 2011

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