Skoll Foundation

What Skoll Foundation does

The Skoll Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the eBay alumnus and philanthropist, and headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The Foundation invests in, connects, and champions social entrepreneurs and other social innovators who advance bold and equitable solutions to pressing global problems in health, environment, and economic inclusion. Its flagship mechanism is the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, which provides $2 million unrestricted grants annually to proven social entrepreneurs, complemented by the annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK, the Skoll Fellowship, and storytelling initiatives such as the Solutions Storytelling Project.

The Foundation's core activities consist of strategic grantmaking (over $1.3 billion deployed since 2024 across systems-level change initiatives), convening (1,500 attendees at the 2026 Forum), and narrative amplification. It has supported 122 social entrepreneurs and 100 organizations across five continents. The Foundation operates as part of the broader Jeff Skoll Group, alongside Capricorn Investment Group (managing over $12 billion in assets) and the now-closed Participant Media entity (sunset 2024). Recent programmatic moves include a $50 million commitment to the BuildUS Fund for U.S. economic equity, investment in pan-African climate-tech venture studio Delta40, and support for pandemic risk assessment work with the UN Foundation and National Academy of Medicine.

The Foundation's business model is that of a traditional private foundation: it does not sell products or services but deploys capital from its endowment and investment returns through grantmaking. Its 101-250 person professional team manages award selection, grantee support, convening logistics, and communications. Leadership includes Marla Blow as CEO & President and Salah Goss as Chief Program Officer (joined March 2026), with Jeff Skoll as Founder. Revenue and endowment figures are not publicly disclosed; the Foundation's financial scale is implied by its grantmaking volume and affiliation with Capricorn's $12 billion AUM.

Name

Skoll Foundation

Legal name

Skoll Foundation

Website

https://skoll.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Skoll Foundation is a Palo Alto-based private philanthropic foundation established in 1999 by Jeff Skoll that invests in, connects, and champions social entrepreneurs driving systems-level change in health, environment, and economic inclusion worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Social Investment

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Social entrepreneurship funding
• Philanthropic grant programs
• Social impact investing
• Global convening events
• Narrative change storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Investment Returns: The Foundation operates as a private foundation, deploying capital from its endowment and investment returns to fund social entrepreneurs and social innovators. The Foundation has invested over $1.3 billion since 2024 in systems-level change initiatives.
2. Grant Disbursements: The Foundation provides unrestricted grants to nonprofit organizations through the Skoll Award for Social Innovation ($2 million per awardee) and other strategic grantmaking programs supporting social entrepreneurs in health, environment, and economic inclusion.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Skoll Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that invests in, connects, and champions social entrepreneurs and other social innovators through strategic grantmaking and convening. Its flagship offering is the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, providing $2 million unrestricted grants annually to proven social entrepreneurs, complemented by the annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK, which convenes the global social entrepreneurship community. The Foundation has invested over $1.3 billion since 2024 across systems-level change initiatives in health, environment, and economic inclusion.

Product overview

The Skoll Foundation operates as a philanthropic organization rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings consist primarily of grant programs (the $2 million Skoll Award for Social Innovation), annual convenings (the Skoll World Forum), fellowship programs, and storytelling initiatives that connect and champion social entrepreneurs. The foundation's core activities include awarding unrestricted grants to social innovators, hosting the annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, providing fellowship opportunities, and supporting narrative storytelling campaigns to amplify the work of social entrepreneurs working in health, environment, and economic inclusion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skoll Award for Social Innovation A prestigious annual grant program providing $2 million unrestricted grants to social entrepreneurs with proven track records of advancing transformational social change on intractable global issues. Three to five recipients are selected each year through a rigorous evaluation process.
• Skoll World Forum An annual in-person and virtual gathering in Oxford, UK bringing together social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, storytellers, government officials, and private-sector leaders to explore sustainable solutions to complex global challenges. The 2026 edition was the 23rd annual forum with the theme 'The Ecology of Us'.
• Skoll Fellowship A fellowship program supporting emerging social entrepreneurs with resources, connections, and mentorship to advance their social innovation work and integrate them into the Skoll community.
• Skoll Foundation Strategic Grants and Investments Strategic investments in social entrepreneurs and innovators at inflection points toward scale, supporting organizations working in community health workers, Indigenous land rights, smallholder agriculture, and girls' education. The Foundation has invested over $1.3 billion since 2024 across these systems-level change initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 122 social entrepreneurs and 100 organizations supported on five continents
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UN Foundation, National Academy of Medicine, Fiocruz, Global Pandemic Monitoring BoardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Skoll Foundation provided support for a workshop convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 28-29, 2024 focused on pandemic risk assessment and its intersection with climate change. The workshop brought together global health leaders, scientists, and policymakers to advance pandemic risk assessment frameworks.
• Skoll Global Threats Fund (sunset 2017)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Private foundation supported by Skoll Foundation operated from 2009-2017 addressing climate change, pandemics, water security, nuclear proliferation, and Middle East conflict. After spending down Jeff Skoll's $100 million gift, spun off pandemics work into Ending Pandemics and climate work into Climate Advocacy Lab.
• Jeff Skoll GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999The Jeff Skoll Group (JSG) oversees and drives strategic initiatives across Jeff Skoll's organizations including Capricorn Investment Group, Participant (sunset 2024), and the Skoll Foundation. Capricorn manages over $12 billion from offices in New York City and Palo Alto.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockefeller Foundation: Historic US private foundation with global programs in health, food systems, and economic inclusion. Comparable in scope and systems-change orientation, with much larger historical endowment.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest US private foundation, deploying tens of billions across global health, education, and economic inclusion. Overlaps Skoll on award size, unrestricted grantmaking to social innovators, and global convenings; much larger and broader.
• MacArthur Foundation: Major US private foundation supporting creative, effective, and just societies through large-scale grantmaking. Comparable in long-term, systems-change grantmaking and global footprint.
• Open Society Foundations: Major global grantmaker supporting civil society, governance, and social innovation across continents. Overlaps Skoll on unrestricted grants to social entrepreneurs and on international thematic priorities.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large-scale private foundation with global programs across public health, environment, and economic opportunity. Comparable in unrestricted funding approach and founder-driven strategic posture.

Direct peers

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest US private foundations with a global grantmaking footprint, including explicit programs supporting social entrepreneurs and systems-change work. Directly comparable in scale, scope, and unrestricted-grant approach.
• Mulago Foundation: Venture philanthropy foundation funding proven, cost-effective social entrepreneurs addressing basic needs. Directly comparable on funding model, scale of investment, and outcomes-oriented social-entrepreneur selection.
• Omidyar Network: Philanthropic investment firm founded by eBay's Pierre Omidyar, funding social entrepreneurs and impact ventures globally. Direct peer in funding mechanism (grants + investments) and founder profile (eBay alumnus, like Jeff Skoll).
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation: Venture philanthropy fund that provides multi-year unrestricted funding and capacity support to early-stage social entrepreneurs. Closely comparable on the social-entrepreneur funding model and selection process.

Emerging players

• Eisner Foundation: US private foundation funding innovative organizations serving children and the arts. A smaller, more focused peer in the private-foundation grantmaking space with similar unrestricted-support orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skollfoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/skollfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/193147324041812
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skoll-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments15 records

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Frequently asked questions about Skoll Foundation