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The Skoll Fund
The Skoll Fund is a other headquartered in United States (North America). Ranked #384 in the 2026 Dealroom Power Law LP Ranking by realised power-law score across its venture commitments.
Historical Background
- The Skoll Fund was established in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first full-time employee and first president of eBay. It was created as a private foundation to support social entrepreneurs.
- In 2009, the Skoll Global Threats Fund was established to address global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and water security. This fund was concluded in 2017, with its work and lessons integrated into the Skoll Foundation's broader strategies.
Source of Capital
- The fund's capital originates from the personal wealth of its founder, billionaire entrepreneur Jeffrey Skoll.
- The Skoll Fund is a private foundation and a supporting organization of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Major Events
- A notable event was the creation of the Skoll Global Threats Fund in 2009, a distinct entity with a focus on large-scale global issues. The fund operated for eight years before its mandate was absorbed back into the main foundation's activities in 2017.
Allocation Strategy
- The Skoll Fund invests in social entrepreneurs and organizations that are working on solutions to global problems. Its approach involves providing grants and other forms of capital to scale the impact of these ventures.
- The fund's focus is global, supporting initiatives that address issues such as health, economic opportunity, and peace and human rights. It is known for the annual Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship, which provides large, unrestricted funding to selected organizations.
- The allocation strategy is centered on identifying and supporting proven social innovations that have the potential for large-scale, systemic change, rather than focusing on a specific asset class like traditional venture capital.
Sources
- https://skoll.org/about/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skoll_Foundation
- https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=SKOL003
- https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/skoll-fund/
- https://www.philanthropy.com/article/skoll-creates-100-million-fund-to-tackle-global-threats/
- https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021-4-26-from-the-who-to-the-what-the-skoll-foundation-clarifies-its-priorities