Rachel’s Network announced the awardees and finalists of its 2025 Catalyst Award. Now in its seventh year, the Catalyst Award honors women leaders of color for their commitment to a healthy planet, and provides them with financial and leadership support, and public recognition.
This year’s Catalyst Award interviews made it clear that the devastating federal funding cuts are putting significant strain on the women in our community. While women of color leaders and their organizations are consistently underfunded even in “normal” times, our applicants are facing even greater stress this year, with bigger funding gaps, and more burnout. Catalyst Program Director Shreya Durvasula offers ways for funders to step up.
What could a non-extractive agriculture project look like? In June, Rachel’s Network visited Urban Growers Collective in Chicago to find out. Catalyst Program Director Shreya Durvasula shared observations and lessons learned from the trip to Green Era Campus and the South Chicago Farm.
Rachel’s Network celebrated its 25th anniversary by announcing a new program to support women leaders of color with long experience in and deep dedication to the environmental movement: the Legacy Award. The inaugural Legacy awardees will participate in a week-long retreat in Dakar, Senegal. There, they will meet social justice leaders, connect with each other, and have space for reflection, learning, and rest.
There’s no getting around it: the years ahead will be arduous for both women and the environment. Everything our organization and members have worked for in the last 25 years is now at risk because of the new administration. But while some politicians, corporations, and organizations are distancing themselves from vital environmental work and diversity, equity, and inclusion, Rachel’s Network remains resolute.
