Catalyst Now Awards 2025
Bogotá, March 2025 – The 2025 Catalyst Now Awards ceremony was held in Bogotá, bringing together some of the world’s most visionary social entrepreneurs, funders, corporate leaders, and policymakers to celebrate transformative solutions that are locally led and globally relevant. Hosted at the Gimnasio Moderno Cultural Center in Bogotá, this event marked a milestone in Colombia’s establishment as a leader in social innovation and cross-sector collaboration, highlighting individuals and organizations driving systemic change to address critical social and environmental challenges.
In her welcome address, Catalyst Now Global Co-CEO Gabriela Arenas de Meneses emphasized that “these awards are more than recognition – they are an important tool to drive and accelerate world-changing actions. By celebrating donors, governments, and others who collaborate with us to design transformative solutions that address systemic challenges, we hope to redefine best practices and inspire others to follow their example.”
Award Winners and Nominees
Corporate category
This category highlights best practices in private sector engagement with the social entrepreneurship sector. Beyond direct and measurable benefits, these initiatives have also generated ecosystem changes toward inclusion, equity, and sustainability.
Nominees included Target Corporation, recognized for its social commitment to donate 5% of its profits to community initiatives in the USA; Tech Mahindra Foundation, which has driven education and employment in vulnerable communities in India, benefiting more than 2.7 million people; and the winner, Tsao Pao Chee (TPC), a leader in social impact that integrates businesses and organizations to promote sustainable development globally.
Donor category
This category recognizes individuals and organizations that have allocated capital to support projects or initiatives aimed at generating systemic change. Within this award, there are four subcategories that influence the final selection, based on the Catalyst Now Funder Diagnostic Survey:
- Leader in learning category
Nominees were Tara Health Foundation, which promotes economic and health justice for women and marginalized communities with a focus on gender and racial equity; Hewlett Foundation, which donates $400 million annually to education, environmental sustainability, and global development; “la Caixa” Foundation, which invests €510 million annually in social, educational, and scientific programs, benefiting thousands of children and vulnerable communities; and the winner, Movimento Bem Maior, which fosters philanthropy and social justice in Brazil to drive systemic change.
- Leader in trust category
Again, Tara Health Foundation and Hewlett Foundation were nominated in this category, along with Echidna Giving, a foundation that drives girls’ education in low-income countries with a projected investment of $700 million over 40 years; and the winner, BC Parks Foundation, which has protected more than 250 acres of endangered forests and works to conserve 30% of British Columbia’s territory by 2030, collaborating with indigenous communities.
- Leader in partnerships category:
Nominees included Emergent Fund, which has allocated more than $6.6 million to organizations led by people of color in the USA to address systemic injustices; Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, which promotes child and adolescent health in Brazil through research and food security and violence prevention programs; Associação Aliança Empreendedora, which has trained more than 50,000 low-income microentrepreneurs to strengthen their businesses; and the winner, Santo Domingo Foundation, the only Colombian institution nominated, was recognized for its impact on education, health, and entrepreneurship in vulnerable communities.
- Transformative compliance leader category
Nominees in this category were Workforce Funder Collaborative, which promotes child and adolescent health through mental health initiatives, food security, and violence prevention, as well as strengthening the philanthropic sector in Brazil; and the winner, Masana wa Afrika, which has supported more than 50,000 low-income microentrepreneurs in Brazil with training and access to resources to promote inclusive and sustainable business models.
“The winners of these awards are true pioneers in their fields. They break barriers and forge innovative collaborations to address systemic social and environmental challenges. From climate action to economic inclusion, their work demonstrates that bold collective action creates real and lasting change,” concluded Valeria Duflot, member of the Catalyst Now Board of Directors.