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.

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 8 to 15 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. The next and final deadline for applications for the 2011 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship is Wednesday, August 4, 2010. Following this deadline, we will be making adjustments aimed at streamlining and simplifying our application process.  Please click here to receive notification of our revised process when it is complete. 
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 the application deadline.
4. Due Diligence takes several weeks to several months, depending on the schedule and project complexity.
5. Award winners will be publicly celebrated during a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum in March of 2011.

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