Arcus 2020 Report: 20 Years of Strategic Grantmaking

October 29, 2021|Arcus Foundation

Arcus’ 2020 annual report chronicles an extraordinary, if challenging, year for the foundation and for the world. This edition also marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation’s grantmaking, looking back over the last two decades of achievement and challenge through a range of fresh content presented in video, print, and graphic media.

In a series of seven video conversations, we hear from Arcus’ founder, Jon Stryker, and our CEO, Annette Lanjouw, and see dozens of grantee partners in conversation with us from their homes or workplaces in South Africa, Uganda, Indonesia, Honduras, and St. Lucia, and in New Mexico, Georgia, California, and New York. We learn from the perspectives of LGBTQ leaders in the United States, and from individuals in communities involved in conservation efforts, including members of the Indigenous Idu Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India, and, for example, small-business owner Merveille Boale Batuli from the Bongandanga area of Mongala province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Highlights of the report also include:

  • A timeline of Arcus’ last 20 years, featuring photography and images of 50 milestones including the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that employers cannot fire workers for being gay, lesbian, or transgender; the changing status of ape populations in both U.S. captivity and in their ranges around the world; and the launch of the first volume of the State of the Apes series, featuring Arcus partner research and insights.


As with any annual report, one of our key aims is to fulfill our commitment to transparency, and to this end we provide details of our 2020 financials with links to relevant statements and filings. But our greater aspiration is to create an opportunity for exploration and learning. We invite you to delve into this new content, connect with us through our social media, and get to know some of our longest-term grantee partners who are helping in the realization of a more just and harmonious world.

We hope the report will reaffirm your passion for the goals that unite us, and that you will find the messages and information in the report compelling enough to share with others.

Explore our digital report here, or download the PDF below.