NationSwell Announces Inaugural 'A Future Possible' Awards

12 groundbreaking leaders recognized for the roles they play in making meaningful social impact

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NationSwell today announced the inaugural A Future Possible Awards, recognizing twelve leaders whose vision, skill and commitment are driving breakthroughs in social impact.

A Future Possible Awards celebrate the roles that make lasting change possible: from the Catalyst to the Builder to the Sustainer. Rather than focus on a single initiative, NationSwell shines a light on the bold leadership, relationship building, organizational systems, and dedicated work required to move progress forward.

The inaugural class represents ten essential roles that leaders can play in creating change, from inventing new tools and building sustainable organizations to mobilizing communities, redesigning systems and changing how people understand the challenges they face.

"NationSwell created A Future Possible Awards to recognize something we don't always see in traditional awards: the work behind the work," said Amy Lee, Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director, Studio, NationSwell. "The leaders we're celebrating are not all solving problems in the same way. They're bringing different strengths, approaches and forms of leadership to the challenges that matter most, and together they offer a powerful picture of what it takes to move change forward."

The honorees were nominated and endorsed through a curated process informed by expert advisors and mentors with rich personal contributions to social impact. The expert advisors and mentors included luminaries from across the field, including Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, international bestselling author Jonathan Haidt, and CEO of Echoing Green, Cheryl Dorsey.

"Creating a better future isn't the work of a single leader executing a single campaign or initiative," said Greg Behrman, Founder and CEO of NationSwell. "It takes visionaries and teams who invent, build, mobilize, connect, collaborate, redesign and tell new stories about what is possible. A Future Possible is our way of recognizing the people and organizations doing that work and making visible the different roles that allow progress to take hold."

The 2026 honorees will be celebrated through a beautiful web experience that includes exclusive editorial content, plus ongoing social promotion and celebration on stage at the NationSwell Summit 2026 in Philadelphia, PA., the impact sector's most engaging and inspiring gathering for cutting edge impact leaders.

The 2026 A Future Possible Honorees

THE INVENTOR deploys new tools and models — AI, science, technology and economic systems — in ways that open groundbreaking and powerful new paths forward.
Winner: Ken Ikeda, CEO, Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST)

THE SUSTAINER operationalizes progress by creating sustainable, efficient and effective teams and processes.
Winner: Artis Stevens, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

THE ADVOCATE raises awareness and urgency around an issue, fearlessly activating the levers needed to drive change.
Winner: Zarqa Yaftali, Founder and Chairperson, Women and Children Research and Advocacy Network

THE CATALYST directs capital, influence or institutional power toward promising ideas and leaders that might otherwise be overlooked or undervalued.
Winners: Catherine Casey Nanda & Amon Anderson, Co-Founders and Managing Partners, Acumen America

THE INNOVATOR meets needs and creates new opportunities with fresh approaches that challenge the status quo.
Winners: Sarah Alexander & Olivia Rosenthal, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Patch Caregiving

THE BUILDER does the long, often unglamorous work of making meaningful change possible in a specific place or community.
Winner: Adair Mosley, CEO, GroundBreak Coalition

THE MOBILIZER grows a movement by shifting public will, activating new constituencies and channeling collective energy toward bold solutions.
Winner: Alexa Arnold, CEO & Cofounder, The TAG Movement

THE INTEGRATOR bridges sectors, ideologies or geographies to forge unlikely coalitions capable of addressing challenges in ambitious and durable ways.
Winner: Sixto Cancel, Founder and CEO, Think of Us

THE ARCHITECT redesigns systems, policies and conditions that keep problems entrenched, working at root causes rather than symptoms.
Winner: Jennifer Blatz, CEO, StriveTogether

THE STORYTELLER changes what is possible by changing how people understand and relate to a problem through journalism, documentary, fiction, visual art, music or cultural movements.
Winner: Vanessa Renae, Co-Founder and President, GirlTREK

Meet the Honorees: https://www.afp.nationswell.com/

About A Future Possible Awards

A Future Possible Awards, presented by NationSwell, celebrate the leaders and organizations whose vision, commitment and hard work are helping make a better future possible. The inaugural honorees were nominated through a curated process led by expert advisors and mentors with outstanding experience in social impact.

About NationSwell

Founded in 2013, NationSwell is a full-service membership community and advisory for cutting-edge impact leaders, partnering with 200+ of the world's leading companies, philanthropies, and nonprofit organizations. Through its membership community, award-winning Studio, and Collaborative initiatives, NationSwell works with changemakers to define effective impact strategies, forge catalytic connections and partnerships, create market-leading campaigns and thought leadership, and accelerate progress on the most pressing social goals.

Brooke Josebachvili
Marketing and Communications
NationSwell
[email protected]

SOURCE NationSwell