2009 'Genius Grants' told

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, based in Chicago with four ex-U.S. offices, named 24 Fellows, each of whom gets $500K to use as they please, with hope they'll build upon their previous achievements. The Foundation's announcement is here. The selection process: Annually, new fellowship nominators are chosen. Read more here. The majority,but not all of this year's recipients live in major U.S. urban centers, with links to major universities.