Brookings Receives $5 Million Gift from MacArthur Foundation To Endow Metropolitan Policy Program

Bruce Katz discusses the Metropolitan Policy Program's history and cutting-edge agenda Watch video >>

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program a $5 million gift in support of the Program's second decade. This is the single-largest gift from a foundation in the Metropolitan Policy Program's history.

"The MacArthur Foundation's generous award enables us to take every component of our enterprise to a higher level-from research and policy development to communication and outreach-leading to greater impact across the board," said Bruce Katz, Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program and a Brookings Vice President. "The foundation's investment comes at a critical juncture in the intellectual and organizational life of our program, as we add up the first ten years of our work to promote a national economic agenda that builds on the assets-and centrality-of America's metropolitan areas."

The grant will add key resources in several areas by creating an endowment, expanding the senior management team, and leveraging an additional $20 million in matching funds that Brookings seeks to raise by 2012. These investments are needed to keep pace with the program's rapid growth-from a 20-person, $5 million operation in 2004 to nearly twice that today.

"The MacArthur Foundation's extraordinary endorsement through this gift helps ensure the permanence of metropolitan studies at the Brookings Institution," said Brookings President Strobe Talbott. "To match this exciting investment, Brookings will make a long-term commitment to provide its Metropolitan Policy Program an increased amount of support from the institution's unrestricted resources - equal to an additional $5 million over 10 years."

The MacArthur Foundation has supported the Metropolitan Policy Program through a series of grants over the past decade, and by contributing intellectually to various undertakings. Projects have included multi-year research and policy development around metropolitan economic performance, transportation issues, and improving the quality of data available on urban communities in order to connect their residents to the economic mainstream.

As it begins its second decade, the Metropolitan Policy Program's work is designed to help metropolitan areas-and the cities and suburbs within them-achieve three goals that are central for success in the new global order: 1) productive growth that embraces an innovative economy which builds on the distinct strengths of individual places; 2) inclusive growth that fosters a strong middle class and reduces racial and ethnic disparities in education, income and wealth; and 3) sustainable growth that strengthens cities and older communities while promoting energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive patterns of development.

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The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution helping to build a more just and sustainable world. Through the support it provides, the Foundation fosters the development of knowledge, nurtures individual creativity, strengthens institutions, helps improve public policy, and provides information to the public, primarily through support for public interest media. With assets of more than $6.4 billion, the Foundation makes approximately $260 million in grants annually. More information is available at www.macfound.org.