Skoll Foundation

April 26, 2012 – At the Global Impact Economy Summit in Washington, DC, Secretary Clinton announced a new $44.5 million partnership – a Global Development Alliance (GDA) - between USAID and the Skoll Foundation.

Inspired by venture capital models, Development Innovation Ventures’ (DIV) at USAID invests in game-changing innovations in development with the power to change millions of lives at a fraction of the usual cost. DIV has made 20 investments to date, to world class innovators in health, energy, governance and food security.

The Skoll Foundation, founded in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, eBay’s founding President, drives large scale change by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world’s most pressing problems. Skoll has identified and cultivated the world’s most effective social entrepreneurs in areas from education and employment to food security and healthcare.

In this alliance, Skoll and USAID will identify and fund high-impact social entrepreneurs who have demonstrated innovations and sustainable business models ripe for scale – and maximum impact. The alliance will deliver evidence of impact, thereby encouraging increased public and private investment in scaling the most promising innovations

“Investors serious about scaling up development innovations need to scale up their own capabilities, and that’s what we’ve set out to do with this partnership,” said Sally Osberg, CEO and President of the Skoll Foundation. “Together, the Skoll Foundation and USAID are prepared to back and grow entrepreneurial solutions to many of the world’s most pressing problems. Along the way, we expect to deliver value well beyond what either of us can accomplish individually.”

For more information about DIV: http://idea.usaid.gov/organization/div

For more information about the Skoll Foundation: www.skollfoundation.org

Tags: Skoll Foundation, usaid