OCCRP Is a Finalist in MacArthur Competition for $100 Million Grant

The MacArthur Foundation and its nonprofit affiliate, Lever for Change announced today that the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is one of five finalists advancing to the final stage of 100&Change.

100&Change is a global competition awarding a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world's most critical social challenges. 

A pioneer of collaborative cross-border reporting, OCCRP strengthens investigative journalism around the world and exposes crime and corruption so the public can hold power to account. It publishes over 100 investigations a year on corruption, organized crime, and other threats to the public interest, and provides data, security, editorial, and legal support to a network of more than 70 independent media organizations. 

“We are grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for recognizing the power of investigative journalism at such a crucial time. Independent media, a core component of democracy, has never faced more threats and challenges,” said OCCRP Co-Founder and Publisher Drew Sullivan. “We are in a golden age for globalized organized crime, corruption, and autocracy.  Journalists and the public must organize, cooperate, and innovate to confront this unholy trinity, which seeks nothing less than our complete incapacitation.”  

Kleptocracy, organized crime, and corruption generate more than $3 trillion in illicit wealth annually, according to the UN. This is a profoundly destructive tax on society that diverts resources away from critical needs, such as infrastructure, education, healthcare, and business, and launders them into offshore accounts and assets. Corruption weakens institutions, deepens inequality, and intensifies political instability. 

Founded by investigative reporters Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu in 2007, OCCRP has built an unparalleled collaborative space where journalists can produce impactful stories while gaining access to training, equipment, expertise, and resources. With its follow-the-money methodology, investigative data tools, and research and editorial expertise, OCCRP has helped track and expose over 1,000 cases of high-level crime and corruption, providing actionable information to help bring over 660 offenders to justice and return over $11 billion to the public sphere.

“Now is the time to dream big, collaborate deeply, and develop new solutions to change the world,” said MacArthur President John Palfrey. “Our 100&Change finalists want to scale ambitious ideas that will help millions of people. Today, we hope the sector finds inspiration in these important projects and joins us in celebrating this milestone in the competition.” 

OCCRP’s mission has become increasingly vital as democracies come under new pressures and misinformation now spreads with unprecedented speed.

“As the U.S. dismantles its central role in the global fight against corruption, investigative journalists are needed more than ever to help the public hold those in power to account,” said OCCRP Co-Founder and Chief of Innovation Paul Radu. “Dark money, hidden financial flows, and organized crime have an outsized toxic influence over our daily lives — and we’re ready to meet the challenge.”

“Strengthening investigative journalism in countries around the world is not just about improving transparency and accountability within each country — it’s about demolishing the systems that allow corruption and financial crime to thrive on a global scale,” said Editor in Chief Miranda Patrucic. “We couldn’t do this work without the many hardworking journalists in our global network and we’re excited for the opportunity to make the case for how shoring up this model would greatly benefit citizens worldwide.”

OCCRP was selected as a finalist from a pool of 869 applicants after a rigorous review process. Finalists each receive a planning grant of $1 million and are invited to work with a team of experts to further strengthen their proposals. 

The final award recipient will be selected by the MacArthur Foundation’s board of directors and announced later this year. 

More information about 100&Change and the finalists can be found here.

For more information, contact: [email protected]

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

OCCRP is one of the largest investigative journalism organizations in the world, headquartered in Amsterdam and with staff across six continents. We are a mission-driven nonprofit newsroom that partners with other media outlets to publish stories that lead to real-world action. At the same time, our media development arm helps investigative outlets around the world succeed and serve the public. 

MacArthur Foundation 

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, and reducing corruption in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. 

Lever for Change 

Lever for Change is a nonprofit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation that creates equitable access in the world of philanthropy, enabling donors to discover and invest in organizations with transformative potential. Through its inclusive open call approach, Lever for Change invites organizations of all sizes from around the world to showcase their big ideas, and receive donor funding and resources to make it happen. To date, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.5 billion in grants and worked with more than 500 organizations worldwide. Its transparent and expert-led review process ensures that every participant benefits, and every donor finds confidence in something new.