Skoll Awards For Social Innovation
The Skoll Foundation presents the Skoll Awards for Social Innovation each year to a select group of social innovators whose work targets the root causes of societal problems that are ripe for transformational social change.
At the Skoll Foundation, we view social innovation as the quest to solve a societal problem by applying a novel or reimagined solution that effectively contributes to lasting and systemic social change. Through the Skoll Awards, we aim to highlight social innovators whose work has already had significant impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems and who are poised to act as critical catalysts of transformational social change. By investing in social innovations ripe for accelerated, system-level impact, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full potential and reach of social change leaders.
Each Awardee organization receives $2.25 million in unrestricted funding and flexible support to scale their work and increase their impact. This includes support for Awardees to make subgrants to key partners and to extend their capacity in areas like monitoring and evaluation and communications. Awardees also gain leverage through their long-term participation in a global community of visionary leaders and innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.
NOMINATIONS
The Skoll Foundation employs a multi-year sourcing process for the Skoll Awards. Our goal is to save organizations’ valuable time and effort while identifying the most highly aligned candidates. To that end, we identify candidates through direct engagement, referrals, and nominations from our network of partners.
CRITERIA AND ELIGIBILITY
If you have been asked to refer and/or nominate an Awardee, please review the Skoll Award criteria closely to determine whether the organization would be eligible. Please note that fewer than 10 Awardees are selected annually. Not all organizations that meet the eligibility requirements and align with our criteria will receive the Award.
The Skoll Foundation focuses on five priority systems: pandemics and health systems strengthening, effective governance, inclusive economies, racial justice, and climate action. We look for Skoll Awards candidates who are driving impact within–and across–those priorities.
Organizations will be evaluated against the following criteria:
Potential for change
The organization or initiative targets transformational, system-level impact, from disrupting unjust power dynamics and systems, changing attitudes and behaviors, and mobilizing movements, to improving services, policies, and practices. The organization works above the community level (at a sub-national, national, regional/multi-country, or global geographic scope), and has a compelling plan for achieving long-term growth and sustainability.
Ability to deliver
The organization’s capacity is aligned with its vision for change. The leadership team and governance are strong, and the organization has sound financial health. The organization has partnerships in place to optimize its model and execute its mission on a larger scale. It is a key actor with the capacity to influence and work effectively with other key players across its ecosystem.
Impact record
The organization has a track record of impact on the targeted system, and a learning orientation that supports its ability to identify, anticipate, and respond to challenges while increasing impact over time.
Inflection point
Now is a critical time to act on this particular issue with this particular organization or initiative. The system is poised to shift, and the organization is poised to scale its impact.
Proximity & equity
The Skoll Award will strive to recognize social innovators who are most proximate to the challenge they work to address. This can range from social entrepreneurs building resilient health systems in their community to a global network orchestrator working with national governments on climate change.
Skoll additionality
The Skoll Award stands to uniquely catalyze this organization or initiative to carry out its vision for change. The organization will benefit from engaging with the Skoll Foundation by collaborating with our network of social entrepreneurs and innovators, and by accessing media and fundraising opportunities as well as other resources provided by Skoll.
LEGAL STRUCTURES
To receive a Skoll Award, an organization must be a legally incorporated entity. Skoll will consider nonprofits, for-profits, as well as hybrid structures. Organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) public charity status, including organizations based in other countries, will be asked to submit additional documentation at the appropriate time.
INELIGIBLE
The Skoll Awards cannot support:
- Individuals, either through scholarships or other forms of financial support
- New or concept-stage business plans or ideas
- Programs promoting religious or ideological doctrine, such as those principally sectarian in nature
- Lobbying (beyond that allowed by law for charitable organizations)
- Film financing
- Endowments, cash reserves, or deficit reductions
- Public schools and school districts
- Institutions that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, age, gender, or sexual orientation in policy or practice
- Event sponsorship
- Political campaigns
- Organizations whose missions and work focus on a single municipality, province, or state
- Local offices of parent organizations or specific programs within organizations
