Skoll Foundation - Skoll Awards for Social Innovation

Enriched – · Found: 2026-03-13 17:21

Flagship awards providing multi-year core funding and strategic support to selected social entrepreneurship organizations demonstrating large-scale impact and systems change potential. Can finance organizational strengthening and scaling of circular economy and waste value-chain models globally.

Source: https://skoll.org/skoll-awards-for-social-innovation/

Funding Details

Funder

Skoll Foundation

Funding Goal

The Skoll Awards for Social Innovation provide multi-year, unrestricted core funding of $2 million per organization to social innovators and social entrepreneurs whose work targets the root causes of societal problems and is ripe for transformational, system-level change. The Foundation also offers leverage through a global community of visionary leaders and innovators, media opportunities, and fundraising access.

Funding Amount

$2 million in unrestricted funding per awardee organization (2.000.000 € – 2.000.000 €)

How to Apply

The Skoll Foundation employs a multi-year sourcing process. Candidates are identified through direct engagement, referrals, and nominations from Skoll's partner network — not through open calls. Fewer than 10 awardees are selected annually. Organizations cannot apply directly; they must be identified through the Skoll network.

Target Region

Global (5 continents)

Contact

https://skoll.org/about/contact-us/

Official Page

https://skoll.org/about/skoll-awards/

Last Checked

2026-03-15 09:49

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Must be a legally incorporated entity (nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid)
• Must work above community level — sub-national, national, regional or global scope required
• Must have a strong track record of impact on a targeted system

Project Scope

• Must be at an inflection point where Skoll investment can uniquely accelerate impact

Required Documents

• Cannot apply directly — must be identified through Skoll's partner and referral network

Constraints

• Fewer than 10 awards given per year; extremely competitive selection
• Organizations focused solely on a single municipality or state are ineligible
• Local offices of parent organizations are not eligible

Summary

The Skoll Foundation's Skoll Awards for Social Innovation are among the most prestigious and well-funded awards in the social entrepreneurship space. Each selected organization receives $2 million in unrestricted funding, which can be used to scale their work in any way they choose. In addition to the funding, awardees join a global community of social innovators and gain access to the Skoll World Forum, media opportunities, and the Foundation's extensive network of partners and co-funders. The selection process is not based on open applications but on a multi-year engagement where the Skoll team identifies promising organizations through its global network. Fewer than 10 awards are given each year, making this highly selective. Organizations must demonstrate system-level impact above the community level, strong organizational capacity, a proven track record, and be at a critical inflection point where additional investment can catalyze exponential growth. For organizations in circular economy or marine conservation, the Skoll Awards represent a transformational but highly competitive opportunity. The award's unrestricted nature means it could fund plastic value chain operations, capacity building, technical upgrades, and geographic expansion simultaneously. The challenge is gaining visibility within the Skoll network in the first place, as direct applications are not accepted.

Historical Context

The Skoll Awards have supported 122 social entrepreneurs and 100 organizations on five continents since inception. Awards are given annually at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford. The 2026 forum is currently being planned.

Sources

• https://skoll.org/skoll-awards-for-social-innovation/
• https://skoll.org/about/skoll-awards/

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