McNulty Prize Application & Eligibility

The 2025 McNulty Prize cycle is now open.

The John P. McNulty Prize recognizes over 50 breakthrough leaders for their moral courage, bold vision, and deep, lasting impact.

The McNulty Foundation is interested in hearing from Aspen Institute fellows who are creating bold and lasting social impact through their organizations and are tackling an injustice or intractable issue of our time.

To be considered for the 2025 McNulty Prize or Catalyst Fund, submit your interest or nominate a candidate by October 21, 2024.

Following the receipt of nominations and expression of interest forms, we will invite select candidates to participate in the application process and accept their submissions in our online portal in November. Please note we will not be able to get back directly to every nominated person or person who submits an expression of interest form.

McNulty Prize Criteria & Eligibility

Applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• INSPIRING LEADERSHIP.We recognize individuals who are applying their unique talents and resources—local connections and lived experience, their expertise or organizational platform, credibility, and networks—in service of a bold and compelling vision for change.
• IMPACT. Impact looks different for every organization. We prioritize organizations that have a proven track record and can clearly illustrate through data, evidence, examples and stories the ways in which communities or systems have been changed.
• LASTING CHANGE. We lift up organizations that understand and address the root causes of a challenge and contribute to long-term solutions—whether through expanding agency for individuals, shifting the conditions that hold the problem in place, or influencing the sector and collaborating with others.

To qualify for the John P. McNulty Prize:

• You must be a Fellow of the Aspen Institute or AGLN, with an organization or venture that is at least two years active, and poised to continue for the foreseeable future.
• You must hold a leadership role in the organization, where you have taken decisive action to address a societal challenge.
• Organizations must prioritize social impact, whether they are nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid models.

Fellows are nominated by Aspen Initiatives. Please contact your director to express your interest.

If you are invited to participate in the submission round, you will be requested to respond to the following prompts in our application portal.

NARRATIVE

A. Problem Statement

• What critical issue does your venture address—who is impacted, and what factors contribute to the challenge? How is this issue at the forefront of local or global concerns?
• How does your organization’s model of change address the critical issue described?

B. Leadership Statement

• How are you uniquely positioned to address this issue? What lived experiences, talents, resources, etc do you bring to this work in particular?
• In what way is leading this effort a stretch for you? Please describe your personal leadership journey, how you have challenged yourself to answer a call to action, and how you were influenced by your Aspen Fellowship/Program experience.

SHORT RESPONSE

C. Current Impact

• Describe the impact of your venture on individuals, the community and/or ecosystem. How do you know what is the evidence that the venture has been accepted and embraced by those it benefits?
• How do you measure and assess the organization’s success? What is the reach and scale of your efforts, and how deeply does the organization affect those served? Please include the key metrics and specific outcomes you have tracked over time.

D. Lasting Change

• How does your venture address root causes of the challenge or otherwise create or contribute to long-term solutions? How do you work with others to realize your vision?
• Is there evidence that your venture has influenced others in this space, or the sector or systems at large? How replicable or scalable is the model in or beyond your context?

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

E. Financial Information. Please upload in a single .doc or .pdf file, up to 10 pages (page size 8.5” x 11”). Please share information that explains the financial structure of your venture, how it is funded, and how it will be sustained in the long term. We strongly recommend that you include the following materials (we encourage you to share or adapt existing documents):

• Financial statements that demonstrate total annual revenue and expenses for the most recent year
• A summary of funding / revenue sources and a sample list of your funders/supporters
• Any budget projections and/or fundraising and scaling projections for upcoming years

F. Supporting Materials. Please upload in a single .doc or .pdf file, up to 10 pages (page size 8.5” x 11”). Please share existing materials that demonstrate proven impact on the communities served, and that showcase your influence and record of success. We strongly recommend that you include the following (we encourage you to share or adapt existing documents):

• Annual impact reports, case studies, and stories of tangible impact
• Theory of change visuals or strategy and program area summaries
• Other reports to supporters or investors
• Your CV
• Organizational chart
• Links to press coverage or other recognition
• Existing letters of recommendation or testimonials in support of your venture

[Optional] Short Video. Encouraged, not required—Youtube or Vimeo links accepted

• Share a self-recorded 2-3 minute video (i.e from your phone or laptop) that responds to the following question: Why do you do this work? What drives you in your leadership?
  
• Alternatively, share an existing video that shows and tells about your venture, whether narrated personally or showing others involved or affected by the work.
  

The McNulty Foundation offers support to high-potential ventures at earlier, critical junctures on their path to impact, through the Catalyst Fund.

To qualify for the Catalyst Fund, you must be a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, with a venture (or Action Pledge) influenced by your fellowship experience in some way.