Foundation has made "genius grants" each year since 1981. Early grants were lifetime annuities - now $625,000 over 5 years without any restriction on use. Rank is the year of award. Updated to include 2016 awardees.

Common Recipients

Recipient Total People
Barack Obama $452,506 Sharon R Long, Rosanne Haggerty, Alice M Rivlin, Fouad Ajami, Henry Louis Gates Jr, John P Holdren, Howard Gardner, Donald R Hopkins, Hipolito Roldan, Eric Lander, Cecilla Munoz, Danielle S Allen, Paul Farmer, William Julius Wilson, Stewart Kwoh, Robert Greenstein, Maurice Lim Miller, Frank N von Hippel, Robert Darnton, Caroline Walker Bynum, Julie Mehretu, Michael Woodford, Olufunmilayo Olopade, Christopher Chyba, Daniel Schrag, Heidi Hartmann, Patrick G Awuah Jr, Robert M Axelrod, Michael Kremer, Sidney D Drell, Eddie N Williams, Jim Yong Kim, Dorothy Stoneman, Lester R Brown, Matthew Meselson, Dylan C Penningroth, Laura Poitras, Daniel Spielman, Melody Swartz, Jeanne Gang, Kay Ryan, Melanie Sanford, David Cromer, Jason Moran, Timothy Barrett, Edwidge Danticat, Esther Duflo, Peter Huybers, Rebecca Onie, Richard Prum, Susan Mango, Diane Meier, Jennifer Tipton, Michael Elowitz, Jonathan Shay, Joan Snyder, Lisa Curran, James Fruchterman, Jennifer Richeson, Sarah Ruhl, Terence Tao, Matias Zaldarriaga, Majora Carter, Roy P Mottahedeh, Douglas D Osheroff, Raphael Carl Lee, Joseph H Taylor Jr, Frederick Wiseman, Frank Wilczek, Edward Witten, William H Durham, John Sayles, Sylvia A Law, Robert Hass, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Michael Lerner, Michael J Piore, Alar Toomre, Frank Sulloway, Peter J Bickel, Thomas G Palaima, Peter H Raven, Milton Babbitt, Robert Shapley, Deborah W Meier, David Mumford, Anna Curtenius Roosevelt, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Mimi R Koehl, James Carpenter, Joseph DeRisi, Ned M Kahn, Bonnie Bassler, Paul O Wennberg, Kay Redfield Jamison, David N Spergel, Julie Su, Susan Alcock, Lucy Blake, Margaret Murnane, Gina G Turrigiano, Erik Winfree, Elizabeth Diller, Sara Horowitz, Laura L Kiessling, Leslie V Kurke, David Levering Lewis, Gay J McDougall, Eva Silverstein, John E Carlstrom, Dorothy Quincy Thomas, Arnold Rampersad, Julie Taymor, Paule Marshall, Susan Meiselas, John W Terborgh, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Victoria E Foe, Ruth Watson Lubic, Thomas M Scanlon, Aaron Shirley, Ellen Kovner Silbergeld, John Edgar Wideman, Robert H Adams, Peter E Kenmore, Kerry James Marshall, Kara E Walker, Rebecca Goldstein, Patricia Nelson Limerick, Rosalind P Petchesky, Joel Rogers, Cindy Sherman, Richard White, Julie Livingston, Tarell McCraney, Alison Bechdel, Mary L Bonauto, Tami Bond, Jennifer L Eberhardt, Terrance Hayes, Pamela O Long, Deborah Estrin, Stephen Hart Shenker, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Juan Salgado, Lauren Redniss, Derek Peterson
Democratic National Committee $207,080 Sharon R Long, Patrick F Noonan, Rosanne Haggerty, Alice M Rivlin, John P Holdren, Eric Lander, John A Rich, William Julius Wilson, Frank N von Hippel, Caroline Walker Bynum, Julie Mehretu, Christopher Chyba, Patrick G Awuah Jr, Michael Kremer, Sidney D Drell, Eddie N Williams, Dorothy Stoneman, Amory Lovins, Lester R Brown, Melody Swartz, Deborah Eisenberg, Richard Prum, Jill Seaman, Daniel Sigman, Diane Meier, Jennifer Tipton, Jonathan Shay, Jennifer Richeson, Terence Tao, Douglas D Osheroff, Raphael Carl Lee, Frederick Wiseman, Frank Wilczek, Edward Witten, Sylvia A Law, Richard M Schoen, Michael Lerner, Alar Toomre, Peter J Bickel, Thomas G Palaima, Jane Richardson, Gregory Schopen, James Randi, Robert Shapley, Deborah W Meier, David Mumford, Anna Curtenius Roosevelt, James Carpenter, Bonnie Bassler, Kay Redfield Jamison, David N Spergel, Susan Alcock, Lucy Blake, Erik Winfree, Laura L Kiessling, David Levering Lewis, Gay J McDougall, Arnold Rampersad, Julie Taymor, Paule Marshall, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Victoria E Foe, Ruth Watson Lubic, Thomas M Scanlon, Kara E Walker, Elizabeth LeCompte, Susan McClary, Joel Rogers, Cindy Sherman, Richard White, Mary L Bonauto, Stephen Hart Shenker
Emily's List $61,122 Alice M Rivlin, Caroline Walker Bynum, Heidi Hartmann, Dorothy Stoneman, Lester R Brown, Jennifer Tipton, Victoria Hale, Sylvia A Law, Carl Safina, Erik Winfree, Julie Taymor, Susan Meiselas, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Maria Luisa Crawford
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee $53,132 Sharon R Long, Robert Greenstein, Julie Mehretu, Eddie N Williams, Dorothy Stoneman, Lester R Brown, Jeanne Gang, Alisa Weilerstein, Jason Moran, Terence Tao, Douglas D Osheroff, Edward Witten, Deborah W Meier, Ned M Kahn, Gina G Turrigiano, Gay J McDougall, Eva Silverstein, Aaron Shirley, Dawoud Bey
Rush Holt $51,100 Frank N von Hippel, Christopher Chyba, Matthew Meselson, Joseph H Taylor Jr, Frank Wilczek, Edward Witten, John J Hopfield, Peter H Raven, David N Spergel
Hillary Clinton $43,161 Alice M Rivlin, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Howard Gardner, Cecilla Munoz, Marian Wright Edelman, Julie Mehretu, Daniel Schrag, Heidi Hartmann, Eddie N Williams, Alisa Weilerstein, Chimamanda Adichie, Jennifer Tipton, Victoria Hale, Terence Tao, Douglas D Osheroff, Max Roach, Byllye Avery, Lucy Blake, Margaret Murnane, Julie Taymor, Ruth Watson Lubic, Susan McClary, Nicole Eisenman
John Kerry $40,359 Patrick F Noonan, Howard Gardner, Eric Lander, Danielle S Allen, Paul Farmer, Marian Wright Edelman, Frank N von Hippel, Michael Woodford, Christopher Chyba, Daniel Schrag, Heidi Hartmann, Robert M Axelrod, William E Strickland Jr, Sidney D Drell, Atul A Gawande, Dorothy Stoneman, Amory Lovins, Lester R Brown, Matthew Meselson, Jad Abumrad, Melanie Sanford, Richard Prum, Diane Meier, David Montgomery, Jennifer Tipton, Jonathan Shay, Joan Snyder, Jonathan Lethem, Shelly Errington, Roy P Mottahedeh, Ved Mehta, Edward Witten, Sylvia A Law, Richard M Schoen, Michael J Piore, Alar Toomre, Peter J Bickel, Morton H Halperin, Edwin Hutchins, Franklin W Stahl, Anna Curtenius Roosevelt, Mimi R Koehl, Joseph DeRisi, Ned M Kahn, Paul O Wennberg, Kay Redfield Jamison, David N Spergel, Susan Alcock, Carl Safina, Gina G Turrigiano, Erik Winfree, Mark Danner, Laura L Kiessling, David Levering Lewis, Arnold Rampersad, Julie Taymor, Suzanne Lebsock, Paule Marshall, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ruth Watson Lubic, Robert H Adams, Cindy Sherman, Richard White, Pam Samuelson, Stephen Hart Shenker, Victoria Orphan
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee $38,210 Alice M Rivlin, Howard Gardner, William Julius Wilson, Robert Greenstein, Christopher Chyba, Heidi Hartmann, Eddie N Williams, Dorothy Stoneman, Pamela Matson, Lester R Brown, Alisa Weilerstein, Jennifer Tipton, Jonathan Shay, Lisa Curran, Terence Tao, Frank Wilczek, Bill Irwin, Peter J Bickel, Morton H Halperin, Jane Richardson, Franklin W Stahl, David Mumford, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Paul R Ehrlich, Ned M Kahn, David N Spergel, Susan Alcock, Carl Safina, Erik Winfree, Ida Applebroog, Julie Taymor, Suzanne Lebsock, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Cindy Sherman, Richard White, Nicole Eisenman
Biden Victory Fund $25,250 Henry Louis Gates Jr, Luis Von Ahn
Bill Foster $19,600 Sharon R Long, John P Holdren, Sidney D Drell, Matthew Meselson, Douglas D Osheroff, Frank Wilczek, Edward Witten, John J Hopfield, Alar Toomre, Paul O Wennberg, David N Spergel, Gina G Turrigiano, Erik Winfree, Joel Rogers, Stephen Hart Shenker
Cheri Bustos $19,500 Alice M Rivlin, Edward Witten
Luis Vicente GutiƩrrez $17,200 Hipolito Roldan
Democratic Victory 2004 $16,500 Jorge Pardo, Pepon Osorio, Ida Applebroog, Kara E Walker, Cindy Sherman
MoveOn.Org Political Action $16,379 Caroline Walker Bynum, Dorothy Stoneman, Jill Seaman, Susan Mango, Diane Meier, Jennifer Tipton, Jonathan Shay, Edward Witten, John Sayles, Richard M Schoen, Deborah W Meier, David Mumford, Anthony Amsterdam, Ned M Kahn, Daisy Youngblood, Susan Alcock, Erik Winfree, Laura L Kiessling, David Levering Lewis, Eva Silverstein, Patricia Smith Churchland, Suzanne Lebsock, Joel Rogers
League of Conservation Voters Action Fund $15,150 Lester R Brown, Rackstraw Downes, Lucy Blake, Carl Safina
Bernie Sanders $13,758 Danielle S Allen, Frank N von Hippel, John Sayles, Paul R Adams, Deborah W Meier, Richard M Stallman, Susan Alcock, Robert H Adams, Vincent Fecteau
Jim Mowrer $13,300 Alice M Rivlin
Council for a Livable World Candidate Fund $13,000 Matthew Meselson
Harry Reid $12,900 Heidi Hartmann, Dorothy Stoneman, Matthew Meselson, Terence Tao, Paul R Ehrlich, Lucy Blake
Michael Bennet $12,400 Alice M Rivlin, Robert Greenstein, Matthew Meselson, Lucy Blake, Margaret Murnane