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$450,000 McNulty Prize Awarded to Three Leaders Who Dare to Persist Amid Uncertainty and Conflict

Each McNulty Prize Winner will receive $150,000 for their organization to invest in their innovative solutions to address healing as part of economic development, bridge political divides, and restore biodiversity.

New York, NY — July 17, 2025 — The McNulty Foundation and Aspen Institute have announced the 2025 John P. McNulty Prize winners. These fearless leaders dare to pursue innovative solutions in an era of conflict and uncertainty. They have lived between worlds — between the wild and the urban, between cultures and countries, and from refugee to returnee. Their experiences have become their superpower. With remarkable bravery and clarity of purpose, they are answering the call to action in their communities.

“These leaders embody what the world needs right now,” said McNulty Foundation President and Aspen Institute Trustee Anne Welsh McNulty. “In this moment of unprecedented global division and tumult, the 2025 McNulty Prize winners are showing us what it takes to persevere when problems seem unsolvable — and remind us that progress is always possible. With the right support, these models for real change have the power to address some of the world’s toughest problems now and long into the future.” 

With 2 billion people living in conflict zones around the world, Mohamed Ali Diini and Iftin Global are helping young people overcome trauma and find economic prosperity. In the face of dwindling biodiversity, Dr. Krithi K. Karanth and Centre for Wildlife Studies bring together people and wildlife, connecting conservation and community prosperity in India. Amid increasing political polarization, Layla Zaidane and Future Caucus unite U.S. leaders across the aisle, equipping the next generation of lawmakers to overcome partisan divides to effectively serve communities. These leaders show us what true courage looks like in these challenging times.

Learn more about the 2025 McNulty Prize Winners:

Mohamed Ali Diini & Iftin Global: Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Mohamed (an Aspen Global Innovators Group Fellow) was forced to leave his homeland at 9 years old because of a civil war. As an adult, he returned to Somalia to found Iftin Global (formerly Iftiin Foundation), an organization providing training in entrepreneurship to young Somalis. As president, he quickly realized that unhealed trauma prevented many participants from succeeding. In fact, Iftin’s research found that up to 76% of youth in Somalia carry severe trauma and anxiety, making it harder to focus, learn skills, and keep jobs. Unhealed trauma at this scale cripples economics and social cohesion. Mohamed and his team knew they had to shift their approach to meet the challenge. Now, Iftin Global creates pathways to healing and opportunity for young people affected by conflict. Iftin has developed Somalia’s first professional mental health workforce and linked mental health support with economic opportunities. This is a scalable model to support young entrepreneurs to create a culture of peace and innovation in Somalia and other post-conflict countries. To date, Iftin has reached 300,000 individuals through its programs. Participants have seen a 98% improvement in emotional regulation, and 90% of them are operating viable businesses. The McNulty Prize will help Iftin leverage its evidence-based programs to support the 2 billion people who live in other fragile and conflict-affected areas around the globe. 

“When I was growing up in the U.S., I had the freedom to look for jobs, get an education, and strive for opportunities,” said Mohamed Ali Diini, founder of Iftin Global. “Young people in Somalia don’t have that freedom, mainly because they’re held back by trauma that they’re continually reliving, and what I want to do is unburden them.” 

Dr. Krithi K. Karanth & Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS): Protecting the world’s dwindling biodiversity is a top global imperative, yet the communities living next to wildlife that steward these habitats are overlooked. Born in India, where less than 5% of land protects wildlife alongside 1.4 billion people, Krithi (an Aspen Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellow) spent her childhood roaming parks and watching wildlife with her father. After growing up seeing the contrasts of populated areas and wild India, she went on to study in the U.S., to conduct innovative research on India’s wildlife. But after years of publishing studies, she realized she needed to put her research into action to make real change for communities. As the CEO of Centre for Wildlife Studies, Krithi is on a mission to “rewild” India and safeguard biodiversity. CWS designed a new solution that turns protecting rich environmental areas into an economic opportunity for nearby communities. To date, CWS has served 7,000 villages, mitigating conflict for 80,000 people by partnering with 10,000 farmers to integrate wildlife-friendly practices. Krithi and her team have also educated over 50,000 children in 1,200 rural schools and trained 31,000 local stakeholders across eight states and 100-plus wildlife reserves. The McNulty Prize will help CWS’s revolutionary model, which has already inspired replication across Asia and Africa, get increased attention and support so “rewilding” can serve as a global model at the intersection of environment, education, health, and economic well-being. 

“We stand at a critical crossroads of how we can make space for wildlife amidst billions of people,” said Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, CEO of Centre for Wildlife Studies. “The work we do is addressing the needs of both humans and animals because the reality is you have to put both of them first. Conservation is a long-term investment in building true tolerance for wildlife and interest in our natural heritage.”

Layla Zaidane & Future Caucus: At a time when political polarization is at an all-time high, Layla (an Aspen Civil Society & Ascend Fellow), president and CEO of Future Caucus, is bridging the partisan divide. Growing up as a first-generation Moroccan American raised in New York and visiting Casablanca, Layla was a “third culture” kid who learned early how to create connections across lines of difference. Under Layla’s vision, Future Caucus has become the largest nonpartisan organization of young lawmakers in the U.S., working with over 1,900 millennial and Gen Z elected leaders across 36 state legislatures and Congress. Future Caucus provides relationship-building, research, and storytelling tools to help lawmakers prioritize constituent demands and deliver results. Future Caucus is demonstrating that bipartisanship isn’t just possible — it’s a path to better governance and increased trust of elected politicians. In 2024, 100% of state Future Caucus co-chairs won reelection. In the last legislative session, 25% of lawmakers were millennial or Gen Z and were responsible for 40% of bipartisan legislation signed into law. The McNulty Prize will help Future Caucus reach more current and future young legislators to scale its impact. 

“Our democracy is supposed to represent the diverse needs of our country, but many voters sense a mismatch between our dysfunctional political system and their current reality,” said Layla Zaidane, founder and CEO of Future Caucus. “Toxic political polarization has paralyzed our institutions from truly meeting the needs of people. This political polarization is the core problem that Future Caucus is trying to solve.”

Watch the McNulty Prize winners share more about their journeys and impact on July 23, 3 p.m. MT at this link.

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About the John P. & Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation: The McNulty Foundation inspires, develops, and drives leaders to solve the critical challenges of their time. Created in 2008 by Anne Welsh McNulty in honor of her late husband, the John P. McNulty Prize is awarded in partnership with the Aspen Institute and has now recognized over 60 visionary leaders for their courage and lasting impact. The McNulty Prize strategically invests at the critical point between proof of concept and global scale, where few other supporters operate, to position leaders and mid-stage ventures for greater impact. McNulty Prize winners receive $150,000 over two years, plus the equivalent of $200,000 in media and communications, coaching and strategic advising, and convening support. To learn more, visit mcnultyfound.org. 

About the Aspen Institute: The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org. 

Press Contacts:
Nina Sawhney 
nsawhney@mcnultyfound.org 
510-427-4590

Ben Berliner 
Aspen Institute 
ben.berliner@aspeninstitute.org