Founders asking about Skoll Foundation funding are usually chasing the most prestigious prize in social entrepreneurship. Created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll — the first president of eBay — the foundation pursues "a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all" by investing in, connecting and championing social entrepreneurs. It has invested more than $1.3 billion worldwide, and its endowment stood at $2,202 million in 2025 with $106 million disbursed that year.

Thesis and focus areas

Skoll backs social innovation across environmental sustainability, education, economic opportunity, health, peace and human rights, and sustainable markets. Its headquarters are now in Washington, D.C., relocated from Palo Alto.

Award size and scale

The signature instrument is the Skoll Award for Social Innovation: currently $2 million in unrestricted funding per organisation, with fewer than 10 awardees a year — nonprofits, for-profits and hybrids are all eligible. Unrestricted is the operative word: unlike project grants, the money can be used wherever the organisation needs it most.

Portfolio: Skoll Awardees

Indian awardees include Educate Girls (2015; later a 2025 Ramon Magsaysay winner), the Foundation for Ecological Security (2015), Barefoot College, Rajasthan (2005; $615,000 over three years) and International Development Enterprises, Delhi (2005). Global awardees in 2025 included Apis & Heritage Capital Partners ($2M, employee-ownership model). Jeroo Billimoria (Childline India/Aflatoun) is also a Skoll Awardee.

People behind the foundation

Marla Blow is President and CEO (assumed the CEO role in 2025); founder Jeff Skoll remains chairman.

Programs

Beyond the awards: the annual Skoll World Forum at Oxford, the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford Saïd Business School, the Skoll Global Threats Fund, and a 2025 $25 million pivot fund.

How to apply for funding from Skoll Foundation

There is no open application. Skoll uses a multi-year sourcing process — candidates are identified through direct engagement, referrals and nominations from its partner network. The practical route: get visible to the Skoll ecosystem (attend the Skoll World Forum, connect with past awardees, work with its partner organisations), because nominations flow through relationships, not forms.

Why it matters for founders

A $2 million unrestricted Skoll Award is the closest thing social entrepreneurship has to a no-strings venture cheque — and it cannot be applied for. The strategic lesson for Indian social-enterprise founders: build track record, join networks like Ashoka or Echoing Green, and become findable by the Skoll pipeline. Prestige compounds.