Skoll Foundation Announces Winners of the 2026 Skoll Award for Social Innovation
With innovative solutions to some of the world's most urgent challenges,
three social entrepreneurs are building a better future for all
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Skoll Foundation announced the three organizations that will receive the 2026 Skoll Award for Social Innovation: ChildLife Foundation, SmartStart, and Indus Action. The $2 million award provides unrestricted support to nonprofit organizations with a proven track record of advancing transformational social change on intractable global issues.
Through innovative public-private partnerships, thoughtful community integration, and systems-level thinking, the 2026 award winners are driving measurable progress on child health in Pakistan, early learning and development in South Africa, and civic technology and public benefits access in India. Together, these remarkable organizations are advancing a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all.
The Foundation will present the awards and celebrate the leaders of each recipient organization during the 23rd annual Skoll World Forum, held April 21–24 in Oxford, U.K. and online. The Awards Ceremony will take place Thursday, April 23, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. BST at the New Theatre in Oxford and via livestream. Click here to register to attend the Forum online, or email press@skoll.org to request a press pass to attend the Forum in person.
"This year's winners of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation prove that when bold, creative leaders set their sights on a problem, their resolve and commitment lead to global systems change. Through innovative partnerships with affected communities and cross-sector collaboration, they are driving impact and lasting change in the fields of health, education, and public benefits," said Marla Blow, CEO & President of the Skoll Foundation. "Even in the face of profound shocks to the social impact space, these organizations are not simply maintaining their impact; they are increasing it exponentially. We hope their stories will inspire other social entrepreneurs to continue their pursuit of transformational change."
More details about the 2026 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation:
ChildLife Foundation
Pakistan faces one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, with nearly 1,000 children dying every day from treatable conditions like pneumonia. ChildLife Foundation works to prevent those deaths by strengthening Pakistan's struggling pediatric emergency care system. It partners with government to rehabilitate and manage pediatric ERs within public hospitals, delivering world-class care through modern facilities and equipment, efficient systems and well-trained teams. Additionally, ChildLife Foundation's 24/7 telemedicine network links over 300 district hospitals to pediatric specialists, covering 90 percent of the population. This system has achieved a tenfold reduction in child mortality in the ERs ChildLife manages. By building government doctors' capacity and scaling to 40 modernized ERs and more than 400 telemedicine sites, the organization hopes to deliver life-saving care to 20 million children each year.
Indus Action
India spends $150 billion annually on more than 5,000 social protection programs, yet complex processes prevent nearly 800 million citizens from accessing the benefits they are entitled to receive. An estimated 25 percent of legislated benefits — including those for students, workers and new mothers — never reach their intended recipients, trapping millions in cycles of poverty. Indus Action bridges this gap through a three-pronged approach: building government delivery capacity; leveraging technology to design open-source, citizen-centric solutions; and using research to improve benefit-delivery systems. By engaging both citizens and state agencies, Indus Action is transforming constitutional commitments into impact by ensuring vulnerable Indians can access education, health care and financial programs that provide pathways out of poverty. By 2030, the organization aims to seamlessly connect 30 million citizens to all the benefits for which they are eligible.
SmartStart
High-quality early childhood care and education boosts child outcomes, creates new jobs and enables parents to work. Yet in South Africa, over one million 3- to 5-year-olds don't have access, perpetuating the economic exclusion of poor communities. SmartStart's model enables underemployed community members to convert their homes and community spaces into licensed early learning enterprises for excluded children. By combining training, materials, coaching, compliance support and peer networks, SmartStart's social franchise model makes quality early learning affordable, accessible and community-owned. At the same time, the model unlocks stable, dignified livelihood opportunities for thousands of microentrepreneurs. Through deep collaboration with government and other partners, SmartStart has grown into South Africa's leading early learning network, with 15,000 programs currently reaching 160,000 children per week. The organization is now building the systems, capabilities and partnerships to grow its impact beyond its direct delivery footprint and reach 1 million children by 2030.
About the Skoll Foundation: The Skoll Foundation catalyzes transformational social change by investing in, connecting and championing social entrepreneurs and other innovators who support them who are advancing bold, systemic solutions to the world's most pressing problems. In 2025, the Skoll Foundation directed nearly 80 percent of its funding in support of global social entrepreneurship, with 55 percent directly reaching its community of Skoll Awardees and other social entrepreneurs.
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