Skoll Fund
Skoll Fund is a public charity based in Mountain View, California, formed in 1999. It is a supporting organization associated with Silicon Valley Community Foundation; its filing says the foundation appoints a majority of the Fund’s board, which makes the Fund’s decisions.
Skoll Fund at a glance
In short: Skoll Fund gave $51.7M across 147 grants in 2024 (avg $352K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $51,737,468
- +1.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 147
- +8.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $351,956
- -6.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $75,000
- Total assets
- $945,764,651
- +9.0% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (34% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Skoll Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: 444 Castro Street 140, Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: (650) 455-5411
Website: https://skoll.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Skoll Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Mayo Clinic ($4.5M). Together the top 10 received $24.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
536 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 189 grants of 536 (35%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant records show grants to recipients in multiple states. By share of grant dollars, the largest recipient-state shares were District of Columbia (34%), New York (14%), California (11%), Massachusetts (11%), and Minnesota (9%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 147 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Skoll Fund gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $250K (2022) to $51.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 147 grants totaling $51.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | General Nonprofit Support | $4,500,000 |
| Panorama Global Seattle, WA | General Nonprofit Support | $3,177,000 |
| The Alliance for Climate Protection Washington, DC | Environment | $3,000,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | Civil Participation | $2,240,000 |
| Earthenable Inc Weston, MA | General Nonprofit Support | $2,015,000 |
| Muso Inc San Francisco, CA | Community Development | $2,015,000 |
| Healthy Kids Brighter Future Incorporated Brunswick, ME | General Nonprofit Support | $2,015,000 |
| Financing Alliance for Health Bethlehem, PA | HEALTH | $2,000,000 |
| Rights and Resources Institute Inc Washington, DC | Environment | $2,000,000 |
| Columbia University New York, NY | HEALTH | $1,500,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $945,764,651 | $75,248,928 | $59,643,539 | $51,737,468 | 147 | $42,211,014 |
| 2023 | $867,424,730 | $32,535,459 | $53,860,192 | $50,856,585 | 135 | $32,535,459 |
| 2022 | $785,138,296 | $41,630,175 | $3,853,361 | $250,000 | 1 | $29,699,215 |
| 2021 | $894,684,857 | $96,699,445 | $30,575,992 | $26,406,219 | 115 | $96,678,178 |
| 2020 | $900,589,084 | $115,948,562 | $54,676,122 | $50,919,500 | 138 | $40,322,358 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s filing describes work to invest in social entrepreneurs and other social innovators with compelling visions, creative solutions, and proven approaches; connect and champion innovators through networks, convenings, storytelling, and strategic alliances; and support timely opportunities that advance the Foundation’s mission.
The Skoll Foundation’s website identifies priority work that includes strengthening global health systems through community health and curbing deforestation by securing Indigenous land rights. It also describes support for smallholder agriculture and girls’ education. The website says its Skoll Awards for Social Innovation make four to six unrestricted grants each year to selected social entrepreneurs, alongside grants to organizations on a rolling basis.
The 2024 grants included organizations working in areas such as health, climate and environmental protection, community development, and civic participation. For example, Mayo Clinic describes its mission as providing patient care, education, and research to contribute to health and well-being. Rights and Resources Institute says it supports local communities and Indigenous Peoples in securing rights to land and forests. The Alliance for Climate Protection describes its work as educating the public about climate change and its solutions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Fund reported 147 grants totaling $51,737,468. Grant amounts ranged from $6,000 to $4,500,000, with a median of $75,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $4,500,000 to Mayo Clinic for general nonprofit support; $3,177,000 to Panorama Global for general nonprofit support; $3,000,000 to The Alliance for Climate Protection for environment; and $2,240,000 to New Venture Fund for civil participation. Other large grants included $2,015,000 each to EarthEnable Inc for general nonprofit support and Muso Inc for community development; $2,015,000 to Healthy Kids Brighter Future Incorporated for general nonprofit support; and $2,000,000 each to Financing Alliance for Health for health and Rights and Resources Institute Inc for environment.
The Skoll Foundation’s website describes the Skoll Award for Social Innovation as providing unrestricted funding to selected social entrepreneurs. A 2022 article about the award’s evolution described an additional flexible-support component for awardees to make subgrants to partners or strengthen organizational capacity.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Don Gips as chief executive officer and Marla Blow as president. It lists James GB DeMartini III as chair and donor class director; Shashi Buluswar and Lindsey Spindle as donor class directors; and Cheryl Dorsey, Pat Mitchell, Rajesh Panjabi, and Gayle Smith as controlling organization class directors. Bruce Lowry is listed as secretary.
Skoll Fund is led by Don Gips, Chief Executive Officer since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 11 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Don Gips
Chief Executive Officer
President → Chief Executive Officer, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marla Blow
President
President & COO → President, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James G B Demartini III
Chair & Donor Class Director
Director → Chair, 2021
Chair → Chair & Donor Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lindsey Spindle
Donor Class Director
Director → Donor Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pat Mitchell
Controlling Organization Class Director
Director → Controlling Organization Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cheryl Dorsey
Controlling Organization Class Director
Director → Controlling Organization Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rajesh Panjabi
Controlling Organization Class Director
Director → Controlling Organization Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gayle Smith
Controlling Organization Class Director
Director → Controlling Organization Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shashi Buluswar
Donor Class Director
Director → Donor Class Director, 2024
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Lowry
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Santos
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Richard Fahey (2020–2021) — Treasurer & COO
- Former: Jeffrey S. Skoll (2020) — Chairperson
- Former: Kirk Hanson (2020) — Director
- Former: Larry Brilliant (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Skoll Fund
How much does Skoll Fund give each year?
Skoll Fund gave $51.7M across 147 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $50.9M across 135 grants.
What is Skoll Fund's typical grant size?
Skoll Fund's median grant in 2024 was $75,000, and its average grant was $351,956, across 147 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Skoll Fund give grants?
Skoll Fund's top state is District of Columbia, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were New York (14%) and California (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (36 grants), New York, NY (20 grants), San Francisco, CA (8 grants) and Boston, MA (7 grants).
Does Skoll Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 54% of Skoll Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (80 of 147) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Civil Participation" (25 grants), "Community Development" (24 grants) and "Environment" (9 grants).
Who are Skoll Fund's largest grantees?
Skoll Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Mayo Clinic ($4,500,000), Panorama Global ($3,177,000) and The Alliance for Climate Protection ($3,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Skoll Fund?
Skoll Fund reported $945.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $75.2M.
What does Skoll Fund fund?
The Fund’s filing describes work to invest in social entrepreneurs and other social innovators with compelling visions, creative solutions, and proven approaches; connect and champion innovators through networks, convenings, storytelling, and strategic alliances; and support timely opportunities that advance the Foundation’s mission. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Skoll Fund?
Skoll Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check skoll.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Skoll Fund's EIN?
Skoll Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 77-0528216. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Skoll Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Skoll Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/skoll-fund-morg_90b9b082180b4c998416b80e6ef41eb6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_770528216_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Skoll Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/skoll-fund-morg_90b9b082180b4c998416b80e6ef41eb6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Skoll Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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