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Skoll Award for Social Innovation | MsingiLab

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AwardFoundationInvite Only5 spots available

Skoll Award for Social Innovation

$2,000,000 unrestricted per winning organization

RollingWebsiteEst. 1999

GrantAll Social Impact SectorsGrowthScale

Moderate Gender LensModerate Climate Lens

Apply Now

One of the world's most prestigious social innovation prizes. $2 million in unrestricted funding per winning organization to scale transformational social change. Presented annually at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK. Invitation-only — recipients are identified through a multi-year sourcing process, not open applications.

What You Get

Unrestricted Funding

$2,000,000 unrestricted grant to scale work and increase impact

Skoll World Forum

Award ceremony at annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, UK — premier gathering of social innovators globally

Network Access

Lifetime membership in Skoll awardee community of 100+ organizations driving systemic change

Global Visibility

International media coverage and profile through Skoll Foundation platforms

How to Apply

You cannot apply directly. The Skoll Foundation identifies potential awardees through a multi-year sourcing process involving direct engagement, referrals, and nominations from their network of partners. Building visibility within the Skoll ecosystem (attending Skoll World Forum, engaging with Skoll Centre, connecting with past awardees) increases chances of being identified.

Warm Intro

Required

Geographic Focus

Global

Decision Timeline

Multi-year sourcing process; no fixed application-to-decision timeline

Key Dates

Annual (March-April)Winners announced via press release

Annual (April)Skoll World Forum and Awards Ceremony, Oxford, UK

Eligibility

Invitation-only — no open applications
Must demonstrate transformational social impact at scale
Organization (not individual) receives the award
Work must target root causes of societal problems
Multi-year track record of documented results required

Traction Required

Significant demonstrated impact at scale with documented results over multiple years

Team Requirements

Visionary leadership with proven ability to drive systemic change

Selection Criteria

Potential for transformational impact
Leadership capacity
Documented results and track record
Strategic timing — readiness to scale
Proximity to the problems being addressed
Alignment with Skoll Foundation priorities

Focus Areas

Transformational Social Change

Organizations targeting root causes of societal problems ripe for systemic change — across any sector including health, education, livelihoods, democracy, environment, and financial inclusion.

What They Look For

Social innovators and organizations driving large-scale, systemic change on root causes of the world's most pressing problems. Not looking for early-stage or unproven models — they want organizations with significant track records that are ready to scale transformational impact. Broadened from individual social entrepreneurs to include movement builders, system orchestrators, and coalitions.

Post-Investment Support

Lifetime access to Skoll awardee community, ongoing engagement through Skoll World Forum, visibility through Skoll Foundation media channels, connections to other social innovators and funders in the ecosystem.

Red Flags to Watch

Cannot apply directly — must be identified through Skoll's network; Extremely competitive — fewer than 10 awards per year globally; Multi-year sourcing means this is a long-term relationship play, not a quick win

Insider Tip

You don't apply — you're identified. But you can increase your chances: attend the Skoll World Forum in Oxford (apply for participation), engage with the Skoll Centre at Said Business School, connect with past awardees, and ensure your impact data is publicly visible and compelling. The Foundation conducts multi-year due diligence before selecting awardees. African winners include EarthEnable (2025), mPharma (2019), mPedigree (2019), and Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator (2019).

2003

Active Since

Yes

Deploying

Notable Investments

EarthEnable (Rwanda/East Africa) — 2025 winner; mPharma (Ghana) — 2019 winner; mPedigree (Ghana) — 2019 winner; Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator (South Africa) — 2019 winner; Pacto pela Democracia — 2025 winner; Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC) — 2025 winner; Health Learners (Zambia) — 2025 winner; Apis & Heritage Capital Partners — 2025 winner