Watch George Clooney and His Wife Amal Clooney Accept the Catalyst Award Together

George Clooney and wife Amal accept Catalyst Award for humanitarian work: 'Our goal at the foundation is to free the innocent and punish the guilty'

By DEIRDRE SIMONDS and JASON CHESTER FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 06:34, 9 February 2022
George Clooney and his wife Amal, a respected human rights lawyer who champions humanitarian causes, accepted their first joint award together.

On Tuesday night, the couple were honored with a Catalyst Award for using their platforms to inspire social change during a virtual ceremony, shared on the Elevate Prize Foundation's YouTube channel.

The two-time Oscar winner, 60, began their speech by stating the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ)'s mission is to 'work to free the innocent and punish the guilty' one case at a time.

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An honor: George Clooney and his wife Amal, a respected human rights lawyer who champions humanitarian causes, accepted their first joint award together


His spouse, 44, added: 'The funding we receive from this award will support our TrialWatch program, which monitors criminal trials around the world and defends individuals who are unjustly detained, including journalists, women, LGBTQ persons and minorities.'
'Our goal at the foundation is to free the innocent and punish the guilty. I think we're both inspired by the young people out there challenging injustice in their communities, a new generation that won't accept the status quo,' Clooney continued.

They will reportedly use the $250,000 prize that comes with the Catalyst Award to fund its TrialWatch program, which fights for the 'legal rights for those unfairly targeted by oppressive governments,' according to ET.

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Doing well: The two-time Oscar winner, 60, began their speech by stating the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ)'s mission is to 'work to free the innocent and punish the guilty' one case at a time

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Generous: They will reportedly use the $250,000 prize that comes with the Catalyst Award to fund its TrialWatch program, according to Entertainment Tonight

In December 2020, George told People he felt 'feel very lucky in so many ways to have met' Amal, who he claims he's never 'had an argument' with.

'You know, everybody’s been slammed together because of the coronavirus and a lot of friends’ relationships have been tested. For us, it’s been really easy.'

Always Hollywood's most eligible - and arguably most desirable - bachelor, Clooney surprised many by proposing to Amal in April 2014, with the couple exchanging vows at Venetian palace Ca' Farsetti just five months later.

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'Our goal at the foundation is to free the innocent and punish the guilty. I think we're both inspired by the young people out there challenging injustice in their communities, a new generation that won't accept the status quo,' Clooney continued

And he says their shared passion for equality and philanthropy has only served to strengthen their relationship.

'She succeeds in so many different ways and stands up for what she believes in,' he said of his wife. 'We didn’t fall in love because of our work, but it ended up being something unusual we [share]... we are really lucky and we know it.'

Their organization pushes for justice through accountability for human rights abuses across the world, and Clooney hopes their twins Alexander and Ella, four, follow their lead by taking on the same causes as they grow into adulthood.

Soul mates: In December 2020, George told People he felt 'feel very lucky in so many ways to have met' Amal, who he claims he's never 'had an argument' with (seen in 2015)

He said: 'I’m in the same situation as most fathers of 3-year-olds: I don’t want my children when they’re 15 years old to turn around and say, “There was a time when they were putting kids in cages?... And what did you do about that?"

'And if the answer is "nothing," then I would be ashamed.'

He added: 'I hope that will be my wife’s and my legacy to our children. It just means standing up for things you believe in, standing up for equality. Who could be against equality?”

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George And Amal Clooney Receive Second-Ever Elevate Prize Catalyst Award From Elevate Prize Foundation For Inspiring Action Against Human Rights Abuses
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Afdhel Aziz
Contributor


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The Elevate Prize Foundation, together with its founder, Joseph Deitch, named George and Amal Clooney the second-ever recipients of The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award today for their work with the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), which advocates for justice through accountability for human rights abuses around the world.

The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award recognizes prominent individuals who use their influence to inspire social action and provides $250,000 in unrestricted funding in addition to valuable development resources and partnership opportunities to advance their mission and scale their work. The inaugural award recipient was Trevor Noah. The Elevate Prize Foundation selected George and Amal Clooney for consistently using their influence and platform to shine a light on injustice throughout the world and encourage countless others to do the same, demonstrating that no problem, nor problem-solver, is too small to be ignored.

I caught up with founder Joseph Deitch and Carolina Garcia-Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation to learn more about their inspiring philosophy and work.

Afdhel Aziz: Joe, welcome. What was it that you saw missing in the world that lead you to think about creating the Elevate Prize?

Joseph Deitch: While on a trip to India years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa at her orphanage and she shared some of the most powerful words of wisdom that still stick with me to this day: “If you have money in the bank, don’t just leave it there doing nothing. Put it to good use. Do something with it.” This led to the realization that helping others would be the best investment I could ever make, and it was my time to pay it forward.

In the years following that trip, I studied philanthropy, looking for ways I could merge her advice with my business skills. I came across the term “entrepreneurial philanthropy” and realized that this was the way for me to do just that. Having been an entrepreneur my whole life, I saw it as a way to combine what I already knew about philanthropy in order to do good and elevate human consciousness, leaving a positive impact on the world.