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Catalyst Now Awards Honours Funders Changing the Way the World Gives

On 5 November, Catalyst Now announced the winners of its fifth annual Catalyst Now Awards, recognising funders and philanthropic organisations that fund in ways that help social innovators maximise their impact. The winners were celebrated at a ceremony at the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom.

In this edition, Catalyst Now members and non-members nominated the finalists, who span foundations, philanthropists, institutional donors, and family businesses. The awards focus on four categories: Leader in Field Building, Leader in Partnership, Leader in Transformative Compliance and Leader in Trust.

Award winners

  • H&M Foundation (Leader in Field Building): Honoured for its sustained commitment to ecosystem building and as a model for how investing in the strength of the sector can drive systemic change across geographies.
  • Blood:Water (Leader in Partnership): Celebrated for its true partnership with African-led organisations, combining flexible long-term funding with tailored capacity building and actively addressing the power imbalance between funder and grantee.
  • Imago Dei Fund (Leader in Transformative Compliance): Awarded for easing the burden on grantees through multi-year, unrestricted core funding and a trust-based approach that includes co-creating proposals with them.
  • VélezReyes+ (Leader in Trust): Commended for providing fully unrestricted funding, including overheads, and for demonstrating a strong, mission-focused approach to trust-based giving.

Special Recognition Award: Gary Lubner

Catalyst Now honoured Gary Lubner with a special recognition award. His approach to philanthropy embodies the very principles the Awards were created to champion. Through This Day Foundation, Gary invests in visionary leaders and organisations driving systemic change, embracing trust, long-term thinking and genuine partnership.

His extraordinary pledge to give away at least 95% of his wealth during his lifetime reflects a profound commitment to building a more equitable world. By combining remarkable generosity with a belief in empowering changemakers, Gary is determined not simply to leave a legacy, but to create meaningful change in the world today.

“Good philanthropy is about both giving more and giving better. The way we give can make every donation more impactful,” said Karen, Countess Spencer, Co-founder and Co-chair of Catalyst Now.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition. I am a passionate believer in fairness and equality, and in using what I have to improve opportunities for others. For me, philanthropy is about supporting people and organisations who share those values and have the vision to deliver real, lasting change. I want my legacy to be measured not in financial terms, but in the futures we help make possible,” said Gary Lubner. 

A new approach to philanthropy

“Given the scale of the challenges facing our world, we cannot continue to fund social change in the same old ways. The Catalyst Now awards celebrate funders who are at the forefront of the effort to give differently,” said Matthew Bishop, Co-chair of the Catalyst Now Awards Committee.

The Awards build on the principles set out in Embracing Complexity, a 2020 report by Ashoka and McKinsey & Company, informed by the experiences of social entrepreneurs across the Ashoka, Echoing Green, Schwab and Skoll networks.

These principles subsequently informed the development of a funder self-assessment tool and learning resources. The Catalyst Now Awards recognise funders putting these principles into action. 

  • Embrace systems thinking: Focus on transforming systems, not just addressing symptoms.
  • Fund vision, not projects: Invest in systems leaders, learning, innovation and collaboration.
  • Build genuine partnerships: Share power, build trust, and respond to the needs of changemakers.
  • Commit for the long term: Provide patient, flexible funding that allows strategies to evolve.
  • Collaborate for greater impact: Align with other funders and stakeholders to drive collective change.

“We need a fundamental shift in how philanthropy works: one that puts trust in social innovators, embraces long-term thinking, and gives those closest to the challenges the freedom to adapt, innovate and lead,” said Sohini Bhattacharya, Co-chair of the Catalyst Now Awards Committee.

See the full list of 2026 Catalyst Now Awards finalists here

If you missed the ceremony, you can watch it on the Catalyst Now YouTube channel.