2025 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Honorees announced: Carol Colburn Grigor, Barbara and Amos Hostetter & Joseph and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer
The Carnegie family of institutions celebrates five philanthropists who are forces for positive change: Carol Colburn Grigor CBE; Barbara and Amos Hostetter; and Joseph and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer—all recipients of the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
Comic Relief, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, will receive a special Carnegie Catalyst Award in recognition of its impact and the contributions of its cofounders, Richard Curtis CBE and Sir Lenny Henry.
The international family of Carnegie institutions has named five philanthropists as recipients of the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. The biennial award recognizes innovative philanthropists and their contributions to tackling global challenges.
The 2025 honorees are:
Carol Colburn Grigor CBE, whose support for arts and cultural causes extends from the United States to Australia, and more recently Ireland, along with support in the United Kingdom for organizations including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Edinburgh International Festival.
Barbara and Amos Hostetter, whose Barr Foundation has granted over $1.5 billion to the arts, climate, and education causes since 1997.
Joseph and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer, who have effected transformational change in education, public safety, and the arts internationally.
Professor Dame Louise Richardson DBE, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, said:
“From education and climate change to arts and culture, this year’s honorees have demonstrated the transformational role philanthropy can play in tackling the world’s problems. They all embody the philanthropic spirit championed by Andrew Carnegie by doing real and permanent good in the world. All are true standard bearers of his legacy.”
The Carnegie institutions also announced a special Carnegie Catalyst Award for Comic Relief, a U.K.-based charity cofounded by Richard Curtis CBE and Sir Lenny Henry. Comic Relief has raised over £1.6 billion by using the power of entertainment and popular culture to tackle poverty and injustice in the U.K. and around the world.
The Catalyst Award celebrates the transformational power of human kindness by honoring a nonprofit organization that has been effective in encouraging people to help one another.
Professor Dame Louise Richardson DBE added:
“Richard Curtis CBE and Sir Lenny Henry are true catalysts for positive change and worthy recipients of our Catalyst Award. Comic Relief has a vision of a just world that is free from poverty and uses the power of entertainment to encourage us all to play our part.”
The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy is awarded on behalf of the international family of Carnegie institutions founded by the Scots-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Previous winners include Dolly Parton, the Wolfson Family, Sir Ian Wood, Michael Bloomberg, the Rockefeller Family, and Bill and Melinda Gates.
The medal ceremony will take place in Edinburgh on May 7, 2025.
This will mark the third time the ceremony has been held in the U.K. since its inception in 2001 and will be hosted by the three U.K.-based Carnegie institutions: Carnegie UK, The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, and The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland.
Gillian Taylor, CEO of Carnegie Dunfermline and Hero Fund Trust, one of the host organizations, said:
“Andrew Carnegie believed in committing his private wealth to the public good. His legacy is still felt around the world today, with all our honorees showing the good that can be done through philanthropy. The Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy event in May is an opportunity for the international family of Carnegie foundations to come together in Scotland, the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, to discuss and debate how our work in today’s world furthers Carnegie’s philanthropic vision and values.”
