Yes, indeed, the amount is true. My brother dreamed about it for years. The only catch is a person must be nominated and they do not publicise who the nominators are.

Here's a bio/resume of Thompson's: click here. She's got an interesting background!

From the official website of the MacArthur Fellows Program: The MacArthur Fellowship is a "no strings attached" award in support of people, not projects. Each fellowship comes with a stipend of $500,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years.