The McNulty Foundation and the Aspen Institute have announced the 2024 John P. McNulty Prize winners––courageous leaders tackling critical issues, from environmental injustice and disaster recovery, to addressing a national crisis of leadership and education. Each of their organizations will receive $150,000 in support of their exceptional efforts.

“This year’s winners recognize that communities are not passive actors, but fertile laboratories filled with people fighting for a better future for all. These leaders have walked boldly alongside communities facing some of our most urgent problems and elevated their ideas into action,” said McNulty Foundation President and Aspen Institute Trustee Anne Welsh McNulty. “For communities who have been exploited, polluted, or ignored, these organizations are equipping them with the tools to realize a brighter future.” 

Whether by building and sustaining a network of environmental justice champions, training a new workforce to enable recovery from disaster, or revolutionizing education and civic leadership for transformation in Haiti, these efforts are pioneering ways for communities to come together to tackle critical issues. 

Ever since an anonymous call led him to uncover one of America’s largest human trafficking schemes, labor organizer Saket Soni (Job Quality Fellow) has been an advocate for worker’s rights on a grassroots and national level. He founded Resilience Force to support the thousands of mostly immigrant workers who travel to rebuild in the wake of natural disasters, and to scale this urgently needed workforce. Rachel Korberg from the Families & Workers Fund says, “Resilience Force is the only organization of its kind—creatively reimagining an economy that works for all and solves issues from climate to immigration to jobs.”

With her community organizing background in economic and climate justice, Gloria Walton (Civil Society Fellow), President and CEO of The Solutions Project (TSP), knows that the communities most affected by climate change—disproportionately low-income communities of color—have the strongest ideas to address them. TSP has raised and moved over $50 million to 300+ organizations working to advance solutions and policies including clean water and energy, affordable green housing, land stewardship, and more. TSP is not only strengthening a network of grassroots organizations, but shifting support to those most often overlooked: less than 2% of U.S. climate philanthropy goes to grassroots, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)-led organizations, while TSP grantees are 90% BIPOC-led, and 80% women/non-binary led. 

Passion to contribute to true social justice efforts in their native Haiti is a common purpose shared by leadership and education experts Nedgine Paul Deroly (CEO & Co-Founder) and Jean-Claude Brizard (Founding Board Chair, Aspen Pahara Fellow). By building a culture and curriculum that embraces Haitian identity, Anseye Pou Ayiti (APA) is disrupting an oppressive colonial education system by offering a new model of civic leadership and community transformation. Through immersive fellowships for teachers, parents, and school leaders that include training and coaching, leadership development, and community action, APA is working to equip a network of 50,000 leaders by 2025. 

Watch the winners dialogue and present their visions live at the Resnick Aspen Action Forum here on July 23rd at 6 pm MT.