The 2025 ALBA/Puffin Human Rights Award is an annual prize of $100,000, presented by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) and the Puffin Foundation. This award is deeply rooted in the activist legacy of U.S. volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War with the International Brigades against fascism. These volunteers, who came from diverse backgrounds including workers, students, artists, and writers, defied U.S. law and risked their lives for anti-fascist principles. Upon their return, they continued their activism in various civil rights, anti-war, and pro-worker campaigns, embodying the interconnectedness of class, race, gender, and ethnicity in successful domestic and international activism. The award's mission is to support individuals and organizations who continue this inspiring legacy of the "Lincolns."
The target beneficiaries of the ALBA/Puffin Human Rights Award are individuals and organizations whose work actively promotes human rights and social justice, drawing inspiration from the historical activism of the Lincoln Brigade. The award aims to amplify the impact of contemporary activists by providing substantial financial support, thereby fostering continued efforts in civil rights, anti-war movements, and pro-worker campaigns. The ultimate impact goal is to strengthen the fight for human rights globally and domestically, mirroring the broad and inclusive approach of the original volunteers.
The program prioritizes initiatives that demonstrate a clear alignment with the anti-fascist and social justice principles upheld by the Lincoln Brigade. This includes work that addresses issues of class, race, gender, and ethnicity, recognizing their interrelationship in effective activism. The selection committee seeks nominees who can articulate how the International Brigades, the Lincoln Brigade, and the American Medical Bureau, along as their post-war activism, serve as an inspiration for their own contemporary work. Supporting documentation such as news articles, websites, and social media activity are also considered to evaluate the nominee's current impact.
The expected outcomes of the ALBA/Puffin Human Rights Award include the enhanced capacity of selected activists and organizations to pursue their human rights work, increased public awareness of critical social justice issues, and the continued inspiration drawn from historical acts of courage and defiance. Measurable results could include the number of initiatives supported, the reach and impact of the awardees' projects, and the degree to which their work continues to embody the legacy of the Lincoln Brigade in addressing contemporary human rights challenges. The overall theory of change is that by recognizing and resourcing current activists who share the values of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, the foundation can contribute to a sustained movement for human rights and social justice.
