OUR process

An Awards Committee was formed for the 2026 period. The comprehensive Awards criteria were developed based on the collective expertise of the Catalyst Now membership, building off the New Allies and New Allies Handbook, Catalysing Collaboration, Embracing Complexity, and An Investigation into Financing Transformation reports.

Nominations are open from 1 July to 10 August 2026. Both members and non-members are welcome to nominate donors (corporate foundations, philanthropists, institutional donors, and family businesses) committed to systems change who have been key to their work. During the nomination period, you can nominate here

The Secretariat reviews the nominations and contacts nominators if necessary to complete missing information. Eligibility of nominees is verified, and full candidate files are prepared for the committee. The Secretariat then contacts long-listed nominees to confirm their willingness and eligibility to participate. Both the long list of nominees and the final shortlisted nominees are reviewed and approved by the General Assembly.

The committee meets and approves the long list of candidates, then selects the short list from confirmed candidates. The committee and the Secretariat conduct interviews with shortlisted candidates based on a 10-point evaluation criteria. The General Assembly sense check of the shortlist, and The Jury reviews the interview outcomes and the evaluation criteria to determine the winners.. Finally, the Governing Council signs off on the final winners, and award finalists are informed by personal email.