May 17, 2007

Skoll Foundation Receives Awards for Outstanding Communications

PALO ALTO , Calif. — May 17, 2007 —The Skoll Foundation has received two 2007 Wilmer Shield Rich Awards for excellence in communications. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs.

The Skoll Foundation received the top award, a Gold Award, for its annual report covering fiscal year 2005-06, which is available online. It received the second-place award, a Silver Award, for its electronic newsletter, which also is available online.

The awards were given in the largest category: foundations with assets of $250 million or more. They were presented at the 58th annual conference of the Council on Foundations in Seattle on April 30.

This is the third year that the Skoll Foundation has won a Gold Award in the Wilmer Shields Rich Award program. In 2005 the foundation received the top award in the largest foundation category for its Web site at www.skollfoundation.org. The foundation also received a Bronze Award in 2005 for its newsletter for Social Edge, its online community for social entrepreneurs and members of the social sector at www.socialedge.org. In 2006 the foundation received the top award for its biennial report covering fiscal years 2002-03 and 2003-04.

One judge in the Wilmer Shield Rich competition described the 2005-06 annual report as having “powerful, friendly accessible content” and said reading it “raises awareness and knowledge of global issues, while describing impact.” Another wrote, “From the intro to the back cover, this report is visually exciting.” A third said, “The foundation’s programs clearly support its grantmaking activities. Shows excellent impact.”

In evaluating the e-newsletter, one judge called it an “excellent communications vehicle to build increased understanding of social entrepreneurship, as well as Skoll. Great ‘one-stop shopping’ for a variety of resources.” Another commented, “I was struck by the huge variety of information packed into the newsletter, but it did not seem overwhelming. The combination of spotlight articles and calendar of events on the side gives in-depth as well as more cursory information.”

Categories in the awards program were annual and biennial reports, newsletters, public information campaigns, special reports and Web sites. Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards were given in each category.

This year 174 entries were submitted to the awards program.

About the Skoll Foundation

The Skoll Foundation advances systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs—individuals dedicated to pioneering new solutions that result in lasting improvements to complex social problems. It invests in social entrepreneurs through the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. It connects them through Social Edge, an online community at www.socialedge.org and via the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University. It celebrates social entrepreneurs through media projects such as Uncommon Heroes, a series of short, independent films featuring Skoll awardees. For more information, visit www.skollfoundation.org.