The Fellowship has no application. People are nominated Anonymous ly, by a body of nominators who submit recommendations to a small selection committee of about a dozen people. The committee then reviews every applicant and passes along their recommendations to the President and the board of directors. The entire process is anonymous and confidential. Most new MacArthur Fellows first learn that they have even been considered when they receive the congratulatory phone call.
List of MacArthur Fellows organized by periods of their awards:
The grant was featured on an episode of the television show '' Family Guy ''; the main character, Peter Griffin , attempted to become a MacArthur Fellow but scored so low on the test that he was deemed Mentally Retarded . In reality, applications are not accepted and no tests are performed. Instead, the foundation selects leaders in their respective fields to nominate and select fellows under confidential conditions.
