VisionSpring Founder Jordan Kassalow Wins Skoll Award

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Skoll Foundation recently announced that VisionSpring is one of seven organizations to receive a three-year grant of $765,000 and join the growing global network of Skoll social entrepreneurs who are tackling the world’s most critical social and economic challenges. The Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by eBay’s first president, Jeff Skoll, to promote his vision of a more peaceful and prosperous world. The Skoll Awards program provides social entrepreneurs who have already achieved significant impact with unrestricted funding to further extend their reach.

“We are deeply honored to join the group of 72 remarkable Skoll social entrepreneurs who are making widespread change tackling the world’s most critical social and environmental problems,” said Dr. Jordan Kassalow, Chairman and Co-Founder of VisionSpring. “This tremendous vote of confidence from the Skoll Foundation inspires us at VisionSpring to approach our work with ever more dedication and fervor to truly solving the global failure for affordable eyeglasses across the developing world.”

“Today’s difficult economic environment makes it all the more important to identify organizations that are tackling tough issues and delivering real and sustainable results. Unrestricted funding is particularly valuable against the current economic backdrop, since it provides these entrepreneurs with the flexibility they need to adapt to such difficult challenges,” said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. “The high quality of applicants this year is further evidence that the model of social entrepreneurship is being adopted by innovators worldwide. We welcome the addition of these impressive leaders and their organizations to the Skoll portfolio and look forward to supporting the next step in their growth.”

Dr. Jordan Kassalow will receive the award on behalf of VisionSpring on March 26 at the sixth annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford in England. The Skoll Awards will be presented by Skoll Foundation Chairman Jeff Skoll, Skoll Foundation President and CEO Sally Osberg and special guest, chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri. The Skoll World Forum convenes a global community of outstanding practitioners and thought leaders in social entrepreneurship to set the future agenda for visionaries who want to transform society.

Source: Press Release (link opens in a new window)