Current Winners

October 29th
Minneapolis, MN

The ninth edition of the IMPACT Awards will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of CHANGE Philanthropy’s Unity Summit. At a time that demands bold initiative, deep connection, and unwavering solidarity, the October 27 – 30 conference offers a critical space for funders, organizers and community leaders to strategize, build and strive toward justice.

Across various session types and formats, summit participants will explore how they can collective work to strengthen movements, increase investments in our communities and advance philanthropic practices that are grounded in principled actions that challenge structural and institutional inequities across ability, class, gender, race and sexual orientation.

Announcement (Press Release)

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Curious about past IMPACT Awards celebrations?
Revisit our
2023 and 2021 editions

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2025 NCRP IMPACT AWARDEES:

Grand Victoria Foundation

“Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback

The “Changing Course” Award for Incorporating Feedback is given to the funder that has shifted their strategies and operations in response to feedback from their stakeholders, particularly those most affected by inequity and injustice. This year’s recipient is the Grand Victoria Foundation.

In response to the 2020 racial justice uprisings, Grand Victoria Foundation (GVF) undertook a deep, multi-year process of reflection and transformation. By 2022, GVF had redefined its role in Illinois—centering racial justice, investing in Black leadership and elevating communities of color as key partners in advancing equity and liberation.

GVF’s commitment to listening to and learning from experts on the ground and redefining their work is a powerful model for how philanthropy can move from introspection to lasting change. Today, GVF funds organizing, advocacy, research, narrative change and cross-sector collaboration.

Read More about GVF’s work, which should be replicated across the nation.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

“Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking

The “Get Up, Stand Up” Award for Rapid-Response Grantmaking goes to a funder that provides timely, flexible resources and adjusted processes to respond quickly to urgent movement needs in real time. This year’s recipient is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

At a moment when communities of color face growing threats to health equity, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has shown bold leadership in resourcing rapid response and long-term systems change. RWJF has issued rapid response research grants to address urgent gaps in federal research funding, while also supporting new studies aimed at identifying actionable solutions to persistent health inequities, particularly in Black and Indigenous communities.

RWJF’s vision is clear: healthcare and well-being are afforded rights, not privileges reserved for the wealthy. The foundation has done impressive work reshaping laws, policies and norms to build systems that truly serve the public interest.

Read More on how RWJF is meeting this moment with the urgency and courage it requires.

Women Donors Network

“Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer Organizing

The “Mover and Shaker” Award for Bold Peer Organizing goes to a funder that centered their work on the needs of excluded and impacted communities, leveraging their reputation and convening power to advance systems-change strategies. This year’s recipient is the Women Donors Network.

At a time when social justice work is under heightened attack, Women Donors Network (WDN) is being recognized for its bold leadership and values-driven donor advocacy. WDN’s commitment to combining long-term investment in movement building sets them apart as a courageous force in progressive philanthropy. WDN’s model of radical giving invites donors to transform their relationship to power and wealth.

Read More to find out how WDN is pushing the limitations of status quo philanthropy in pursuit of a more radical vision.

Bush Foundation

“Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking

The “Smashing Silos” Award for Intersectional Grantmaking is given to funders that worked in deep partnership with under-represented and vulnerable communities and supported multi-issue and cross-identity efforts to address systemic causes of social and economic challenges. This year’s recipient is the Bush Foundation.

In the wake of the 2020 racial justice uprisings and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bush Foundation launched a groundbreaking effort to address long-standing wealth disparities in Black and Indigenous communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and 23 Native nations. Through seeding two community trust funds and the lived experiences of local leadership, the foundation set a new bar for what community-led philanthropy can look like.

Bush Foundation’s model of radical generosity and collaboration invites philanthropy to move beyond charity and into the realm of repair, justice and power-sharing.

Read More about how Bush Foundation has designed a proposal of radical generosity and radical collaboration to drive the future we collectively desire and deserve.

Jan Masaoka and Jon Pratt, Philanthropy Project

“Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize’ for Philanthropy Criticism

The Pablo Eisenberg Memorial Prize for Philanthropy Criticism was established in 2023 after the passing of NCRP’s founder. The honor seeks to spotlight the kind of bold truth-telling that its namesake modeled throughout his public career. The 2nd biennial recipient of this award is Jan Masaoka and Jon Pratt of The Philanthropy Project.

Masaoka and Pratt of Philanthropy Project have spent decades fearlessly challenging harmful norms in the nonprofit sector and holding philanthropy accountable. From calling out the overhead myth to advocating for unrestricted funding, they have spent their careers pushing funders to center equity, transparency and community in their work.

Masaoka is known for being one of the sector’s most courageous voices—often asking hard and uncomfortable questions and demanding better, more honest answers. Pratt has pushed the boundaries of philanthropic critique in pursuit of justice and structural reform at its core.

Masaoka and Pratt’s work exemplifies the legacy of Pablo Eisenberg.

Read More about Jan Masaoka and Jon Pratt’s lifetime of impact.