Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
Name	Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
Awarded for	Social entrepreneurship
Presenter	Skoll Foundation
Country	United States
Year	2004

Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship is an annual prize recognizing leaders who apply innovative approaches to long-standing social problems. Founded by Jeff Skoll through the Skoll Foundation, the award highlights organizations that combine scalable models, measurable outcomes, and leadership capable of systemic change. Laureates receive unrestricted funding and visibility through partnerships with institutions such as the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Oxford University, and international media outlets.

History

The award was established in 2004 by Jeff Skoll after his tenure at eBay and the creation of the Skoll Foundation; its inaugural cohort reflected ties to networks including the Ashoka fellowship, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Gates Foundation. Early recognition included organizations connected to figures like Muhammad Yunus and institutions such as the Grameen Bank, linking the prize to global development actors including United Nations agencies and the World Bank. Over time the award convened gatherings at venues like Oxford University and forums at Skoll World Forum, fostering collaborations with partners including Google, Reuters, Harvard Kennedy School, and Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Eligibility and Selection Process

Candidates are typically leaders of mission-driven organizations from regions represented by entities such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America. Nominations come from intermediaries such as Ashoka, Acumen Fund, Echoing Green, and academic centers including the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School. Selection criteria emphasize demonstrated impact, scalability, sustainability, and leadership comparable to benchmarks used by organizations like the Ford Foundation and evaluation practices from GiveWell and Charity Navigator. A selection committee often includes principals from Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, executives from philanthropy such as Melinda Gates, scholars from Oxford University, and journalists from outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian.

Laureates and Notable Recipients

Recipients include founders and organizations that have become prominent within networks spanning Grameen Bank, BRAC, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Room to Read, Partners In Health, and Teach For All. Notable individual laureates have worked with figures such as Paul Farmer and institutions like Harvard Medical School, while organizational awardees intersect with entities like Amnesty International and OXFAM. The award has spotlighted social entrepreneurs whose models informed policy debates in venues including the United Nations General Assembly and influenced programmatic shifts at USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Impact and Outcomes

Skoll Awardees often leverage unrestricted funds to scale interventions through partnerships with corporations such as Microsoft and Unilever, academic incubators like Stanford d.school, and international NGOs including CARE and Save the Children. Outcomes have included expanded service delivery in areas served by BRAC and Grameen, innovations adopted by municipal governments like City of London and national ministries influenced by programs from awardees affiliated with World Health Organization guidelines. The award catalyzes media coverage via outlets including BBC, CNN, and The Economist, which amplifies fundraising among institutional donors such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs and leads to cross-sector collaborations with entities like UNICEF and International Monetary Fund.

Governance and Funding

The prize is administered by the Skoll Foundation, whose board includes alumni from eBay, leading philanthropists connected to Silicon Valley, and advisers from academic institutions such as Oxford University and Harvard University. Funding originates from endowments established by Jeff Skoll and has involved co-funding arrangements with foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation, corporate partners including Cisco Systems, and philanthropic vehicles similar to Omidyar Network. Administrative functions are coordinated with legal and financial services provided by firms comparable to PwC and Deloitte and with event support from organizations like Skoll World Forum.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques have mirrored debates seen around high-profile prizes such as the MacArthur Fellowship and Nobel Peace Prize, focusing on selection opacity, concentration of influence among networks like Silicon Valley philanthropists and global foundations, and the potential for prize-driven priorities to skew local agendas. Scholars from institutions including London School of Economics and commentators in outlets like The Guardian and The New Yorker have questioned metrics for impact assessment used by the award, comparing them to controversies surrounding evaluations by GiveWell and programmatic critiques of World Bank interventions. Other controversies involve perceived preferential access for organizations connected to intermediaries such as Acumen Fund and Ashoka, and debates about scaling models that mirror discussions in literature from Amartya Sen and Jeffrey Sachs.

Category:Social entrepreneurship awards