The Skoll Foundation launches second annual Social Entrepreneurs Challenge

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Skoll Foundation is launching the second annual Social Entrepreneurs Challenge. Hosted on CrowdRise, the Challenge is designed to provide some of the world's leading social entrepreneurs with an innovative platform to raise funds.

This year, more than $3 million in prize and match funding will be available to participants. Organizations participating in the Challenge are recipients of the "Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship" and represent some of the most successful entrepreneurial organizations in the world.

Working on the frontlines, social entrepreneurs fight disease, poverty, and injustice with their innovative approaches, proving that health care, education, and basic needs can be delivered efficiently and equitably, that sustainability trumps depletion, and that large-scale impact is possible.

"With recent news and events, many people may feel discouraged about the state of our world," said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. "But these social entrepreneurs give us hope. They are making progress on the world's most urgent problems, and the Social Entrepreneurs Challenge gives us all an opportunity to support their work—and be part of their success."

The Challenge gives individuals the ability to support and fundraise for social entrepreneurs, and helps leverage their gifts by providing match and prize funding to the organizations.

This year, the Challenge will coincide with Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving held the week after Thanksgiving on December 2. Giving Tuesday gives donors an opportunity to support these organizations as part of their holiday and year-end giving plans.

The Social Entrepreneurs Challenge will run from October 27 through December 5, 2014. Donate and learn more about the Challenge at www.crowdrise.com/skoll.

About the Skoll Foundation

Jeff Skoll created the Skoll Foundation in 1999 to pursue his vision of a sustainable world of peace and prosperity. Led by CEO Sally Osberg since 2001, the Foundation's mission is to drive large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world's most pressing problems.

Social entrepreneurs are society's change agents, creators of innovations that disrupt the status quo and transform our world for the better. By identifying the people and programs already bringing positive change around the world, the Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact, and fundamentally improve society.

Over the past 15 years, we have awarded more than $400 million, including investments in approximately 100 social entrepreneurs and organizations across the globe, creating a brighter future for underserved communities.

Beyond investments and partnerships, we also operate programs that foster collaboration such as the Skoll World Forum (http://www.skollworldforum.com). The Forum is the premier conference on social entrepreneurship and a year-round online platform where audiences can learn about the latest news and innovative approaches on a variety of issues and engage with the world's leading social change agents on key challenges and opportunities.

We also leverage storytelling to accelerate the impact of social entrepreneurs through partnerships with leading film, broadcast, and publishing organizations such as the Sundance Institute (http://www.sundance.org), PBS NewsHour (http://www.pbs.org/newshour), and HarperOne, which help drive public awareness of social entrepreneurs, their innovations, and the potential to make a dent on the critical issues of our time.