Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship
How to Apply

Please note that the selection process for Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship is highly competitive. Each year the Skoll Foundation receives hundreds of applications for the small number of Awards offered, which means that many fine organizations are not selected for an Award. We have enormous regard for the important work being done by all of our applicants, whether they are selected for an Award or not.

Our application process is designed to select organizations that most closely align with our criteria. We urge applicants to complete the Eligibility Quiz to assess whether their organization meets our selection criteria.

Changes in the Application Process:

In 2007 the Skoll Foundation revised its application process and materials. There are three major changes in how the program is administered:

• Applications are accepted and reviewed on a year-round basis, with successful applicants receiving initial funding installments shortly after decisions are made. Regular deadlines (listed below and updated regularly) assist us in managing the internal review process for these applications, a process that takes a minimum of six months to be completed. Awards will be presented publicly at a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, which occurs at the end of every March in Oxford, England.
  
  Please note the following application deadlines:
  - August 5, 2008.
  - November 4, 2008.
  

  We will post future deadlines as they become available.

• Starting in August 2007, applicants who are not selected must wait 24 months before reapplying. This restriction is not retroactive; therefore, applicants who applied prior to 2007 may reapply if they believe that they now fit the Skoll Award criteria.
• All applicants must complete an Eligibility Quiz before filling out the Online Application. The Eligibility Quiz is designed to help applicants assess their competitiveness and avoid preparing an application that is not likely to match Skoll’s selection criteria.

Application Process

Below is a description of the application process. For more detailed instructions on how to fill out the application, please see the “Online Application and Instructions” section.

1. The first stage is the Eligibility Quiz. This tool is intended to help applicants assess their eligibility and potential competitiveness for a Skoll Award. At the end of the quiz, applicants are given a code that allows them to access the application. Applicants cannot move forward to the next phase until they have completed the Eligibility Quiz. However, you can view a preview of the application before taking the quiz.
2. The second stage is the Online Application. After taking the Eligibility Quiz, applicants who feel that their organization is eligible can proceed to completing an Online Application that requests key organizational details and brief answers to 10 questions. Skoll staff will review all applications. Those that are less competitive or do not fit our criteria will be declined at this stage.
3. The third stage is an invitation to submit a Full Proposal. Applicants selected to move forward in the process will be contacted by a program officer and invited to submit a Full Proposal. We anticipate that between 25 to 35 applicants will be asked to submit Full Proposals each year.
4. The fourth stage is Due Diligence. This process usually includes interviews, a site visit, reference checks, follow-up questions, an in-depth financial review and a discussion of grant objectives. We expect that approximately half of the organizations that are invited to submit Full Proposals will move on to the Due Diligence stage.
5. The final stage is the Selection of the Awardees. Decisions will take place on a year-round basis following completion of Due Diligence. We anticipate making eight to 12 Awards during each 12-month cycle.

Timeline:

1. Applications are accepted year round, with black-out periods during holidays, system maintenance and around Skoll Foundation events.
2. Applications are acknowledged electronically, usually within minutes of submission.
3. The application decision and, for successful applicants, an invitation to submit a Full Proposal occurs within six months of submission of an application.
4. Due Diligence takes several weeks to several months, depending on the schedule and project complexity.
5. Award decisions and funding are made year round.
6. All awards will be publicly celebrated during a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum in March of each year, regardless of the grant approval date.

Jump to:

Overview
Eligibility Criteria
How to Apply
Eligibility Quiz
Online Application and Instructions
FAQs
Glossary of Terms

Click here to learn about Skoll Award winners

Click here to download the guidelines in PDF format