Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Know a Courageous Leader Taking On a Critical Issue? Nominate Them for the McNulty Prize & Catalyst Fund

The McNulty Foundation is seeking individuals who are fearlessly pursuing solutions through their organizations, and showing a commitment to act despite the difficulties in their way. These are the kind of transformational leaders the world needs, and that the McNulty Prize & Catalyst Fund honors. Does this sound like you, or someone you know in the Aspen Institute ecosystem?

Nominations for the McNulty Prize and Catalyst Fund are open now through October 16.

SUBMIT A NOMINATION
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Two Paths of Support, Different Stages of Impact

The Foundation supports the work of Fellows and leaders from the Aspen Institute network at different points in their journey:

The John P. McNulty Prize recognizes breakthrough leadership and bold impact at the established mid-stage, awarding three Winners $150,000 each annually, plus the equivalent of $200,000 in media and communications, coaching and strategic advising, and convening support, in honor of their moral courage, vision, and track record of lasting impact.

The Catalyst Fund supports early-stage ventures at a critical juncture, awarding $15,000-$30,000 annually to five to seven organizations, along with non-monetary support to help them grow, and celebrates leadership that addresses the root causes of pressing social challenges.

Behind the Impact: Fellow Spotlights

Get inspired by the stories of McNulty Prize winners and Catalyst Fund recipients who are putting values-driven leadership into action.

A Mother’s Mission to End Malnutrition: Navyn Salem’s Global Impact

Navyn Salem, a 2022 McNulty Prize winner and Henry Crown Fellow, has spent nearly two decades fighting malnutrition, a crisis that kills more children than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. A visit to her father’s homeland of Tanzania, where she saw children her own daughters’ age dying from a preventable cause, launched her path from concerned parent to social entrepreneur. In 2007 she opened a factory there to produce Plumpy’Nut, a therapeutic food for severe acute malnutrition, and in 2009 she founded Edesia, a U.S. non-profit whose Rhode Island factory makes fortified, peanut-based products like Plumpy’Nut and Nutributter for humanitarian agencies working in emergency and conflict zones. Since 2010, Edesia has reached more than 28 million children in 65 countries, including Sudan, Venezuela, Gaza, and Guatemala.

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Navigating Uncertainty from a Frontline Physician

Benson Hsu, a 2023 Catalyst Fund recipient and Health Innovators Fellow, is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and a pediatric critical care physician at Avera Health. Drawing on his own experiences, he founded Aequitas Health to cultivate a new generation of physician leaders committed to equity. Structured like an honor society, it recognizes students who complete health equity projects addressing disparities in their local communities and publish their work in the Aequitas Health Journal. Since its creation, the organization has grown rapidly, with students leading advocacy discussions, serving on Native American reservations, and publishing on topics such as physician resilience and suicide, reproductive health, patient trust, and community medical literacy.

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Leading with Grit, Guided by Nature

Dr. Krithi Karanth, a 2025 McNulty Prize Winner and Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellow, has spent more than two decades protecting India’s wildlife and the people who live alongside it. Through the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), she works to rewild landscapes while empowering local communities as guardians of biodiversity, transforming human-wildlife relationships across 7,500 villages in India. The CWS approach is now inspiring similar efforts across Asia and Africa, showing that conservation can also serve as a framework for education, health, and economic resilience.

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Weaving Communities of Changemakers

Renata Soto, a 2025 Catalyst Fund recipient and Pahara Fellow, is the Founder and President of Mosaic Changemakers, a venture dedicated to weaving a better South by connecting and uplifting leaders of color at the forefront of social and racial justice. Her work centers on embracing the South’s demographic transformation, deepening understanding of who calls it home, and building a future grounded in collaboration, solidarity, and belonging. Soto brings nearly three decades of experience in the region and a lifelong belief in the power of speaking up and rallying people toward change, shaped by her upbringing in Costa Rica among activists, poets, and educators.

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How to Get Involved

Greatness rarely announces itself. Often it takes someone else to say, “I see what you’re doing, and it matters.” Someone in your world needs to hear it. Nominate them, or if it sounds like you, tell us your own story. 

Nominations and expressions of interest are open until October 16, with select candidates invited to engage further with the McNulty Foundation in November. Please note that not all submissions will receive a response.

NOMINATE A LEADER
EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST

Want to learn more first?

Explore these resources

McNulty Prize Application Guidelines
Catalyst Fund Overview & Guidelines
McNulty Prize Overview
Cheat Sheet: McNulty Prize

The Stories Behind the Leadership

Behind every McNulty Prize Winner and Catalyst Fund recipient is a moment that compelled them to act, and values that sustain them when the work gets hard. Explore the stories of past Winners and recipients.

Tom McDougall at the 2026 Resnick Aspen Action Forum
Blog Posts Videos

A New Blueprint for a Resilient Food System

2026 McNulty Prize Winner Tom McDougall is reimagining the food system. creating direct pathways from small farms to communities while strengthening local economies and expanding access to fresh food.

Anna Novosad at the 2026 Resnick Aspen Action Forum
Blog Posts Videos

Education as Resistance: Ukraine’s Underground Schools

2026 McNulty Prize Winner Anna Novosad is creating safe spaces for children to learn, connect, and belong amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Rudy Espinoza at the 2026 Resnick Aspen Action Forum
Blog Posts Videos

Building an Economy That Works for Everyone

2026 McNulty Prize Winner Rudy Espinoza is expanding access to capital for entrepreneurs too often left out of traditional financial systems, turning local action into lasting economic opportunity.

McNulty Winner Panel
Blog Posts Videos

It’s Just Us: Stories of Conviction and Courage

2026 McNulty Prize Winners, on their courage, impact, and the pivotal moments that pushed them to act.

2026 McNulty Catalyst Fund Awardees
Event

Breaking the Cycle: Solutions for a New Future

McNulty Catalyst Fund - HEAL SA

How the McNulty Foundation Catalyzes Transformative Leadership

For two decades, the McNulty Foundation has supported hundreds of Fellows and leaders across the Aspen Institute network who are addressing deeply critical global issues through their organizations. The launch of the McNulty Prize in 2007 was the starting point. Since then, the Foundation’s support has grown to include the Catalyst Fund and other opportunities at different stages of impact.

Beyond direct grantmaking, the Foundation supports leaders through their pivotal moments with scholarships, convening, community, thought leadership, visibility, and more.

To explore the moments that catalyzed this community of leaders, you can watch the Foundation’s award-winning short films, read its series in SSIR, and dive into its leadership case studies.

Questions? Contact the McNulty Foundation at [email protected].