From: info@... <info@...>


To Whom It May Concern,

We are pleased to announce that the online application process for the
Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship is now open. Please go to our
website for complete application instructions, the Eligibility Quiz
and the Online Application. At the end of this email is a link to a
one-page fact sheet on the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship
that provides a few key highlights of the process.

Our selection criteria for award winners has not changed significantly
from previous cycles, although we have explicitly incorporated the
concept of equilibrium change described in the article by Sally Osberg
and Roger Martin in the December 2006 issue of the Stanford Social
Innovation Review. As in the past, we are looking for social
entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence
on the critical challenges of our time -- tolerance and human rights,
health, environmental sustainability, peace and security,
institutional responsibility, economic and social equity.

The Skoll Foundation staff and board have spent significant time in
the past few months reviewing the Awards program and incorporating
changes that we hope will improve the experience of applicants and
help us continue to identify promising social entrepreneurs around the
world who are addressing the critical social and environmental issues
of our time.

Please note that we have made three changes in how the program will be
administered going forward:

• YEAR-ROUND APPLICATIONS – The Skoll Foundation will now be accepting
applications and awarding funding on a year-round basis, with new
Awards celebrated once each year in March at the Skoll World Forum on
Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford. Internal review
of applications will begin on August 27. To be considered for funding
in advance of the 2008 Skoll World Forum, applicants must submit an
Online Application no later than September 24, 2007. Applications
submitted after that date will continue to be reviewed and funded
throughout the year, with Awards celebrated at subsequent Skoll World
Forums.

• ELIGIBILITY QUIZ -- All applicants will need to complete an
Eligibility Quiz in order to proceed to the Online Application. The
Eligibility Quiz is designed to help applicants assess their
competitiveness and avoid preparing an application that is unlikely to
be a strong match to Skoll's selection criteria.

• 24-MONTH WAIT PERIOD -- Starting in August 2007 applicants who are
not selected must wait 24 months (from application date) before
reapplying. This is not retroactive; therefore, applicants who applied
prior to 2007 may reapply if they believe that they now fit the Skoll
Award criteria.

For further information on our revised guidelines and application
process, please go to www.skollfoundation.org/skollawards. We expect
that the selection process will continue to be highly competitive,
with 10-12 Awards in each twelve month cycle.

Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely,
The Skoll Foundation