Delle Maxwell and Pat Hanrahan started the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation in 2018 to support individual scientists, teachers, conservationists and creators whose diverse perspectives enable us to discover new things about ourselves and our world.
The Foundation supports people who:
Explore and ask, through fieldwork in natural sciences
Create and captivate, as they promote mastery in art and craft
Teach and try, as they support students in public education
Conserve and connect, as they encourage care for the natural world
The Foundation has four broad areas of interest: hands-on science, art and craft, teachers and classrooms, and protecting nature. Guided by these four interest areas, we’ve developed the following current programs.
Field Biology
Discovery and insight require time and commitment. The Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Field Biology give winners the support they need to explore and test what they learn at a time when we face great challenges and opportunities. The awards support individual scientists, elevate their diverse perspectives and enable them to commit time to the observation and experimentation that help us better understand ourselves and the world around us. Launched in 2020, the annual awards recognize five outstanding scientists and support each with unrestricted funding.
To complement the Awards in Field Biology, the Foundation is supporting undergraduate- and graduate-level Internships for Field Research at an array of US-based research institutions, in order to provide early scientists with meaningful, hands-on experiences that can really make a difference in their careers. And our strategy of Small Grants for Field Biologists is intended to provide early-career field biologists with quick turnaround funding to address immediate obstacles, including access to scientific equipment, gear or materials.
Craft
United States Artists is supporting design and administration of the inaugural year of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft for emerging and/or under-recognized craftspeople and artists across the country. The first awards launched in 2022.
To complement the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft, the Foundation is supporting a series of grants for Fellowships and Scholarships for Craft Programs that allow individual craftspeople to attend programs and workshops around the country in disciplines such as ceramics, woodworking and fiber arts.
In addition, the Foundation partners with organizations that provide Small Grants for Artists and Craftspeople to support the structural needs of an individual’s studio practice, whether through grants for equipment, studio safety or professional development.
Diversity and Inclusion in Art, Design and Computing
These one-time grants to five art universities and colleges represent an opportunity to connect Pat’s Turing Award to Foundation investments that celebrate the cultural significance of art and design and support the inclusion of more diverse perspectives in this work. The goal of these grants are to 1) increase the diversity of students pursuing interdisciplinary degree programs in arts, design and computing courses or programs, and 2) increase the quantity and quality of equitable, interdisciplinary art, design and computing curricula at the schools. The grant recipients are California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Georgia Tech, Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and University of Hawai`i Foundation.
Public School Teachers
The Public School Teachers Program will ultimately aim to: support teachers’ needs inside the classroom, providing financial support for materials, resources, field trips and other hands-on, experiential learning opportunities; celebrate remarkable teachers through unrestricted, direct financial support at a critical moment in their career trajectories; and allow teachers to pursue experiences in the world that bolster their curiosity and passion, ultimately impacting their classrooms.
Too often, public school teachers don’t have the flexible, short-term resources to support creative, hands-on activities for their students. Classroom Grants help ensure that teachers are able to provide well-rounded programs in public education--including arts, music, science, math, and experience outside the classroom. Through Teacher Awards, the Foundation celebrates exceptional educators across the country who were selected for excellence in teaching and learning and a commitment to the profession. Lastly, through Teacher Experiences, the Foundation supports professional development and experiential learning opportunities focused on those not otherwise supported by districts, such as summer learning, travel experiences or conferences.
Resilient California and Hawaii Ecosystems
The Foundation supports organizations and educational institutions with a focus on California and Hawaii. We support Protecting Important Places on land and sea that enhance biodiversity and resilience, as well as public access. We also support Connecting People and Nature. Through opportunities to engage with and learn about nature, diverse communities experience an outlet for curiosity and adventure, improving their health and inspiring a lifelong respect and care for our environment.
Food
Launching in 2023, the Awards in Food will provide unrestricted awards to early- to mid-career individuals with meaningful, real-world experience across the spectrum of food systems: educators and teachers, artisans and creators, protectors of resources and leaders in organizing communities. The Awards recognize and support the efforts of individuals who are working to encourage people to be aware of the importance and impact of food in their everyday life; and whose work regenerates the land, sea, and human connection through food, so that the future can be more resilient, vibrant and nourishing. We will celebrate winners who are under-recognized, and who are at a moment when this award will be catalytic to their trajectory.
To complement the Awards in Food, the Foundation is supporting Fellowships and Scholarships for Food Programs at an array of US-based organizations, in order to provide early career support to people producing, educating and nourishing others through food.
The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for grants.