Organizations can apply for the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship if they meet the eligibility criteria set by the Skoll Foundation. Organizations should be led by a social entrepreneur. Social entrepreneurs have been characterized by the Foundation has those who have the ability to:
- Recognize an unjust equilibrium that leads to the exclusion, marginalization or suffering of vulnerable members of our society
- Identify an opportunity within this unjust equilibrium to change the existing system and, through inspiration, creativity, direct action, courage and fortitude, implement a better solution
- Demonstrate potential to scale up their innovation until they have replaced the old system with a new, stable equilibrium that alleviates the suffering of the targeted group and creates a better future
Further eligibility criteria seeks innovation on part of the organization to drive equilibrium change in the six critical issues of tolerance and human rights, health, economic and social equity, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and environmental sustainability. They should be able to demonstrate the evidence of the impact created and should also have a clear and realistic plan for scaling up the initiatives. The strategic plan should also demonstrate financial, organizational and impact sustainability.
