Seed Initiative

The Seed Initiative inspires, supports and researches exceptional, entrepreneurial, nascent, multi-stakeholder partnerships for locally-led sustainable development.

innovative ideas, with good scope for expansion, adaptation, and replication elsewhere

with potential to become engines of sustainable growth, tenacious and creative in improving incomes and livelihoods

in the early stages of their development and in need of capacity building and technical assistance to move from “idea” to “implementation”

social entrepreneurs, communities, women’s groups, companies and others, holding a common vision and pooling their resources to achieve it

fermenting ideas and actions which bring direct benefits to people on the ground and are more suited to local circumstances

finding new ways of simultaneously
- improving incomes and strengthening livelihoods,
- tackling poverty and marginalisation
- managing and conserving natural resources

Skoll Foundation

The Skoll Foundation was created by Jeff Skoll in 1999 to pursue his vision of a world where all people, regardless of geography, background or economic status, enjoy and employ the full range of their talents and abilities. Skoll, who was the first employee and first President of eBay, believes that strategic investments in the right people can lead to lasting social change.

The Skoll Foundation’s mission is to advance systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs are proven leaders whose approaches and solutions to social problems are helping to better the lives and circumstances of countless underserved or disadvantaged individuals. By identifying the people and programs already bringing positive changes to communities throughout the world, the Skoll Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact and fundamentally improve society.

Trickle Up

Trickle Up empowers people living on less than a dollar a day to take the first steps out of poverty, providing them with resources to build microenterprises for a better quality of life. In partnership with local agencies, we provide business training and seed capital to launch or expand a microenterprise, and savings support to build assets.

Trickle Up believes in people and their capacity to make a difference. We empower the world’s poorest people to develop their potential and strengthen their communities. We pursue this goal in a way that encourages innovation and leadership, maximizes resources, and promotes communication and cooperation among all Trickle Up constituencies.