Ostwald received the 1909 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his contributions to understanding catalysis and for his investigations of the fundamental principles underlying chemical equilibria and reaction rates. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize 20 times beginning in 1914, and he submitted nine nominations of other scientists for the Nobel Prize following his own award. This included two nominations of Albert Einstein. Ostwald donated more than US$40,000 of his Nobel Prize award money to advance the cause of the Ido language.