When Mónica Ramírez discovered she was selected as an Elevate Prize recipient, the recognition represented far more than financial assistance for her organization.
The acknowledgment validates the mission of Justice for Migrant Women, her Fremont, Ohio-based nonprofit that champions the rights of migrant women and other underserved populations, particularly during a period of heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
“As immigrant and migrant community members are being threatened and attacked around our country, it’s really important to have shows of support like the Elevate Prize is providing because we’ve seen a retraction — a big retraction — in support,” Ramírez explained, noting she became emotional upon learning of her selection. “The award means we are able to do the work that we know is so urgently needed.”
Each of the ten organizations announced Tuesday as Elevate Prize recipients will obtain $300,000 in unrestricted funds, while their leaders receive guidance on expanding their operations and enhancing public awareness of their causes.
Carolina Garcia Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, emphasized to The Associated Press that maintaining a strong public presence has gained critical importance in today’s climate. Beyond supporting fundraising efforts and public education, visibility “is also a form of protection,” she explained.
“It’s more important than ever to double down on leaders like Monica,” Jayaram stated, referencing how Imran Ahmed, a previous Elevate Prize recipient who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate, faced entry restrictions to the United States last year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited Ahmed’s “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.” A federal court later prevented the Trump administration from detaining Ahmed, a British national residing in Washington.
The foundation plans to launch “Good Is Trending,” a new program designed to increase visibility for prize recipients, including displaying their work on NASDAQ’s Times Square billboards Tuesday.
Mara Fleishman, who leads the Chef Ann Foundation in Boulder, Colorado, anticipates this increased exposure will elevate her organization’s mission of bringing scratch-made meals to educational institutions. Her group has secured backing from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Waverley Street Foundation while helping schools create menus with fewer processed ingredients and more locally-sourced fresh produce.
“We’ve worked with over 17,000 schools and reached more than five million kids,” Fleishman noted. “But how do we take the work we’ve done and turn it into something digestible for legislators and advocates to understand what is possible?”
Fleishman emphasized her foundation must discover methods to mobilize the public as a “force multiplier” for their message, carrying it into school board discussions and state legislative chambers nationwide.
Much of this outreach depends on effective storytelling, according to Jayaram. The Elevate Prize selection committee considered nominees’ potential narratives when determining winners.
“People pay more attention to people than they do to issues,” Jayaram observed. “So when you can ground an issue in the story of a person, of a community, of a neighborhood, suddenly the whole world can start to engage and relate to that because it’s not that different from a community and a neighborhood and a family somewhere else.”
The foundation has championed narrative-driven advocacy for several years, establishing Elevate Studios last year to craft compelling stories about prize winners across various media, from YouTube content to theatrical documentary releases.
Ramírez expressed enthusiasm about amplifying the voices of those served by Justice for Migrant Women.
“I really think that the Elevate Prize is going to help us give a microphone to the people that we serve,” she stated. “That’s my hope.”
The complete roster of 2026 Elevate Prize recipients includes: Shabana Basij-Rasikh, president and co-founder of SOLA (School of Leadership, Afghanistan) supporting Afghan girls’ education; Hillary Blout, founder and executive director of For the People, assisting with prison releases; Manu Chopra, CEO of Karya, delivering AI technology to low-income areas; Mara Fleishman, CEO of Chef Ann Foundation, promoting scratch-made school meals; Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, supporting federally subsidized housing residents; Tom Osborn, founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute, providing mental health services to underserved areas beginning in Africa; Ai-jen Poo, executive director of Caring Across Generations, advocating for care as a national priority; Mónica Ramírez, founder and president of Justice for Migrant Women, defending migrant and rural women’s rights; Krutika Ravishankar, co-founder and executive director of Farmers for Forests, protecting and restoring Indian forests; and Utkarsh Saxena, executive director of Adalat AI, creating artificial intelligence tools for court systems.
