Kerry Washington Receives Elevate Foundation Catalyst Award, Boards Pro-Democracy Series ‘Nevertheless’ Season 2 as Executive Producer

Kerry Washington was honored with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award at the Democracy on the Screen – and on the Line event Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival. The star also announced she’ll be joining the upcoming second season of Elevate Studio’s “Nevertheless” as an executive producer.

With the award, Washington is being recognized for her dedication to advocating for civic engagement and the protection of democratic freedoms. The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award is dedicated to acknowledging figures who use their power and influence to inspire positive global action, providing recipients with $250,000 in unrestricted funding to advance their mission and work. 

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Speaking with Variety, Washington said, “It’s so exciting because it’s about turning the spotlight toward organizers and community leaders, and that’s really how I’ve tried to use my platform. We have supported local grassroots organizations who know their communities best, and we help their message reach farther. We help them tell their story and tell it more effectively and in traditional media and social media, and so this Catalyst Award is really allowing me to continue to direct resources toward leaders and initiatives that strengthen our democracy and making sure that the people who are holding the line for all of us, that they have to see what they need to keep going.”

A docuseries by the Elevate Prize Foundation’s storytelling and production arm, the upcoming season of “Nevertheless,” titled “Nevertheless: Democracy Defenders,” will spotlight grassroots leaders, shining a light on those going up against rising polarization, growing threats to civil liberties and democratic backsliding around the world. Among those featured on the season are: Koketso Moeti, Founding Executive Director of amandla.mobi, which mobilizes communities across South Africa to hold power to account through mobile-first civic activism; Yordanos Eyoel, Founder of Keseb in Boston, advancing inclusive democracy initiatives across the United States, South Africa, and Brazil; Hannah Fried, Executive Director of All Voting is Local in Washington, D.C., who leads efforts to protect voting rights and expand equitable access to the ballot nationwide, and Imran Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Center for Countering Digital Hate, who leads efforts to protect human rights and civil liberties online.

Speaking about the series, Washington said, “This series is really exciting, because we are always living in the truth that every single person is the hero of their own story, right? And that every story deserves to be told, that people from every walk of life are seen and heard and empowered to be heroes of their life and their community and their world.”

She went on to say te series puts a spotlight on everyday citizens who are making efforts to “protect us all.” In season 2, Washington says, these are the people who are doing this work, often without any recognition, and at very serious personal cost and risk. She added, “This storytelling is important because it shows democracy as something that is practiced, something that’s worth fighting for. And it really elevates – pun intended – the phenomenal organizers as the heroes.”

In a statement, Carolina Garcia Jayaram, the CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, said, “Kerry Washington truly embodies what it means to be a catalyst. Through her powerful storytelling on screen and her fearless activism off it, she challenges the status quo, amplifies underrepresented voices, and sparks conversations that demand change. In just a decade, she has built an award-winning company that not only produces compelling stories but also creates platforms for social impact, proving that creativity and conscience can drive culture forward. Kerry reminds us that stories shape culture, culture shapes power, and when told with intention, storytelling becomes a form of civic engagement that moves us toward a more just and inclusive world.”

Founded in 2019 by businessman and philanthropist Joseph Deitch, the Elevate Prize Foundation is a nonprofit with the mission to Make Good Famous. Elevate Studios was launched in 2025 to finance and distribute purpose-driven content. In addition to the Elevate Foundation Catalyst Award, the foundation also operates the Get Loud Award, which provides a monthly grant to fuel grassroots movements and build power among communities.

Past recipients of the Elevate Foundation Catalyst Award include Dwyane Wade, Michael J. Fox, Matt Damon, George and Amal Clooney, Sesame Street Workshop and Malala Yousafzai.