Join us in celebrating the winners of the Catalyst 2030 Awards 2023 – the individuals, governments and organisations forging the path towards directly resourcing community-led social innovation to promote systems change.

The winners of the Catalyst 2030 Awards 2023 are:

• The Canadian Federal Government – Global Government Winner
• Basque Government, Spain – Regional Government Winner
• Instituto Humanitas 360, PDR Fundo Filantrópico, Brazil – Leader in Learning Donor Winner
• Tarsadia Foundation, USA – Leader in Trust Donor Winner
• Asfari Foundation, UK – Leader in Partnership Donor Winner
• Segal Family Foundation, USA – Overall Best Donor Winner
• EY, Global – Corporate Winner
• UN World Tourism Organisation, Global – Bilateral and Multilateral Winner
• UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy – Bilateral and Multilateral Winner
• UNTFSSE, Samantha Power USAID and Warby Parker – Special Recognition

Huge congratulations go to all the Catalyst 2030 Awards 2023 winners and nominees.

Canadian Federal Government, Canada

The Canadian government’s commitment to the SDGs began with the establishment of an SDG Unit in 2017 to ensure effective coordination across numerous federal departments and agencies and to track Canada’s SDG progress.

The Government of Canada embraces the universality of the 2030 Agenda and is committed to the implementation of the SDGs in Canada and internationally through a whole-of-society approach. Working with partners and stakeholders, Canada is striving to end poverty and inequality, build more prosperous and peaceful societies and protect the planet.

Basque Government, Spain

The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. Among its many functions, it formulates proposals for social innovation in terms of social transition and the 2030 Agenda. With its Basque Programme of Priorities, it promotes coordination and follow-up strategies between the Departments and Institutions oriented towards a joint action of the Government in matters of social transition and the 2030 Agenda and monitors the actions of the strategy.

Instituto Humanitas 360, PDR Fundo Filantrópico, Brazil

PDR Fundo Filantrópico promotes public interest causes for the benefit of society through the management of endowments and allocation of resources to supported institutions. It makes early stage investments in social businesses with great potential for positive impact on society.

Instituto Humanitas 360 has demonstrated a great commitment to addressing problems from a 360 perspective. Its appetite for risk is enormous and this is necessary for real systems change.

Tarsadia Foundation (TF)

The Tarsadia Foundation (TF) is a private, multigenerational family foundation based in Newport Beach, CA. TF works to improve people’s lives through grant funding, promotion of philanthropy among peers and strengthening the capabilities of non-profit organisations.

They are committed to trust-based, collaborative philanthropy and letting their partners guide the work. TF operates under four impact pillars, Inclusive Mobility, Crises & Threats, Human Transformation and India Upliftment.

The Asfari Foundation

The Asfari Foundation invests in and supports a resilient and empowered civil society infrastructure and innovative youth leaders. By doing so, the Foundation aims to create transformative and positive change in communities and countries.

In partnership with its collaborators, the Foundation is unwavering in its commitment to achieving its ultimate goal, creating a more equitable world where every person has the chance to improve their lives, invest in their communities and help shape the future of their nations.

The Segal Family Foundation (SFF)

The Segal Family Foundation (SFF) believes in a world where development is steered by grassroots leaders and power is shifted into the hands of communities. It supports community-based organisations that have the localised knowledge needed to create sustainable change in their communities.

Over the years SFF has built a team based in the US and Africa that supports more than 250 social partners across sub-Saharan Africa.

Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY)

The global EY Ripples program aims to positively impact one billion lives by 2030. EY people, together with clients and other like-minded organisations, use their skills, knowledge and experience to bring positive change across three focus areas: supporting the next generation workforce, working with impact entrepreneurs and accelerating environmental sustainability. Learn more at ey.com/eyripples.

UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Global

UNWTO is the United Nations specialised agency for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism worldwide. It promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

It has introduced entrepreneurship and education as key factors for tourism and development and is an innovation benchmark within the wider United Nations system as recognised in the UN 2020 and 2022 Mapping of Innovation, Data and Digital Capacities.

UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE), Global

The UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) aims to raise the visibility of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) within the UN system and beyond. The members and observers of the Task Force have committed to undertake collaborative activities to enhance the recognition of the role of SSE enterprises and organisations in sustainable development, promote knowledge of SSE and consolidate SSE networks, support the establishment of an enabling institutional and policy environment for SSE to ensure coordination of international efforts and create and strengthen partnerships.

Contact: Lynne Smit
Communications Lead, Catalyst 2030
Email lynne.smit@lesacommunications.org

Catalyst 2030 Inaugural Systems Change Award Winners Announced; Finalists Represent Philanthropic, Government, Multi-lateral and Business Leaders who Embrace Collaboration, Co-creation and Shifting Power Dynamics to Achieve the SDGs

25 March 2021 – Catalyst 2030, the global movement of social entrepreneurs and social innovators who are collaborating to achieve the SDGs by 2030, announced the winners of its Inaugural Systems Change Awards today.

“As we work to achieve the SDGs, we face a huge challenge. I am hopeful because we are social entrepreneurs! It is in our DNA to find the positive and innovate,” said Jeroo Billimoria, spokesperson and co-founder of the movement. “The philanthropists, donors, corporate and government leaders we honour today share our vision and the principles detailed in the Embracing Complexity Report. We are better together, and, with their true partnership and co-creation, I am confident we will achieve this monumental task.”

The ceremony, held at Althorp House in Northamptonshire and hosted by renowned BBC journalist Emily Kasriel, was broadcast live to a large global audience.

The Awards were given in six categories, with the finalists chosen from more than 200 nominations. There was rigorous judging process by a high level jury chaired by Matthew Bishop, Founder and Board Member of the Social Progress Imperative. The criteria largely mirrored the principles that the entire sector must embrace to achieve social impact. These include: A systems mindset; funding systems leaders rather than projects, working in true partnership, long-term engagement and collaborating with other stakeholders.

The categories and winners were:

Individual Philanthropist

Azim Premji and MacKenzie Scott for donating significant money, time and resources to achieving systems change; and Ray Chambers who was honoured with a Lifetime Impact Award.

Donor Organisation and Philanthropic Intermediary

Small Donor Organisation, to Garfield Foundation for its substantial contribution to a more equitable vibrant and sustainable world.
Large Donor Organisation, to Ford Foundation for leading long overdue change across the philanthropy world, by trusting social entrepreneurs more particularly during the pandemic.
Philanthropic Intermediary, to Greenwood Place in recognition of its investment in the community of entrepreneurial philanthropists and the organisations they support in the long term.

Bi/Multilateral Organisation

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation in recognition of its commitment to build funding partnerships that deliver long-term sustainability.

Corporate

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship for its open, collaborative mindset, deep empathy for social issues and its tireless collaboration with social entrepreneurs across the value chain.

Government

Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development in recognition of its commitment to achieving and measuring SDG 12; to the Government of Paraguay in recognition of its commitment to promote collaboration and the contribution of social entrepreneurs to public policy; to the Government of Taiwan in recognition of its commitment to social innovation by collaborating and co-creating solutions with social entrepreneurs; and to the Ministry of Health, Malawi in recognition of its commitment to promote multi-sectoral collaboration with social entrepreneurs for creating health solutions at scale.

Special Recognition

Ashoka, Echoing Green, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and Skoll Foundation being there from the start and providing invaluable support. And the early supporters – Chandler Foundation, GHR Foundation, Mastercard Foundation and Shockwave Foundation.

The Awards will help to kick off Catalysing Change Week 2021. All of the Award finalists will be invited to host sessions in the second annual Catalysing Change Week which will be held virtually from 3 to 7 May 2021.

“A core principle of our Theory of Change is to bring key stakeholders together to create tangible outcomes for policy-making,” Bishop said. “At Catalysing Change Week 2021, we will unite experts, social innovators, and representatives from the private sector and governments to showcase, listen to and come to understand one another. Through raising awareness of outstanding practices in the field and the potential to bring about change, we aim to change the mindset of policymakers, funders and leaders and urge them to give social innovators a seat at the decision-making table.”

For more information, visit https://awards.catalyst2030.net/2021-awards/