Catalyst Awards Nominations

All nominations for The Arc’s Catalyst Awards must align with The Arc’s mission and core values, position statements, and strategic framework. Any nomination reviewed by the Catalyst Awards Selection Committee that does not meet the basic eligibility criteria will be considered ineligible for consideration.

The scope of the work being nominated can be at the local, regional, state, or national level—but all nominations must be of national significance to the intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) community. Support of inclusion at any level can help manifest change nationally.

Additionally, nominees must have advanced one or more of the goals and strategies in the strategic framework, including:

 

Nomination Categories

The Arc’s Catalyst Awards are divided into five categories: Advocacy, Education, Employment, Media/Entertainment/Marketing, and Philanthropy.

Please note that awards are not necessarily presented each year in every award category. Decisions are made each year based on the caliber of nominations received.

We have developed criteria for certain awards. Here are the details:

 

Advocacy

Awards in this category are given to individuals or organizations that have supported the development and implementation of public policy or initiatives that protect and promote the human rights of people with I/DD. Nominations in this category should support inclusion for individuals with I/DD in the community throughout their lifetimes and align with The Arc’s mission and core values.

For nominations related to public policy advocacy, please review The Arc’s Legislative Agenda for a list of key federal policy issues for people with I/DD and our stance these priority areas.

Awards in this category include:

 

Education

Nominations in this category must align with The Arc’s Position Statement on Education.

Awards in this category include:

 

Employment

Nominations in this category must support community-based employment and align with The Arc’s Position Statement on Employment.

Awards in this category include:

 

Media/Entertainment/Marketing

Nominations in the category must promote increased public awareness of people with I/DD—including their needs, issues, and concerns—by showcasing to the public the positive role and contributions of people with I/DD.

Awards in this category include:

 

Philanthropy

Philanthropy plays an important role in supporting innovation and improvement of services for people with I/DD and in strengthening the I/DD community. Nominations in this category should identify individual philanthropists or corporate or private philanthropic organizations whose contributions, to The Arc or to (an) other group(s), have substantially enhanced the lives of people with I/DD and advanced The Arc’s mission.

Awards in this category include: