The Skoll Foundation, established by eBay's first employee, announced the recipients of the new Skoll Awards for Innovation in Silicon Valley. Seven Silicon Valley-based nonprofit organizations will receive a total of $1.5 million, including $973,000 in direct financial support, in recognition of their accomplishments and their potential to advance systemic change and innovation in local communities.

The organizations and the direct financial awards for each are: American Leadership Forum, Santa Clara ($150,000); Businesses United in Investing, Lending and Development, East Palo Alto ($125,000); Community School of Music and Arts, Mountain View ($150,000); Lenders for Community Development, San Jose ($170,000); People Acting in Community Together, San Jose ($130,000); Project Cornerstone, San Jose ($98,000); and San Jose Conservation Corps, San Jose ($150,000).

"The Skoll Awards for Innovation in Silicon Valley are just that: awards recognizing the innovative organizations in Silicon Valley that are working to advance positive, lasting change right here in this community," said Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman of the Skoll Foundation in San Jose.

Jeff Skoll was eBay's first employee and first president of eBay, and he established the Skoll Foundation in 1999. The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through three award programs and the new Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Said Business School at Oxford University. The foundation celebrates social entrepreneurs through media projects such as a four-part public television documentary that will be broadcast in late 2004, and via the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, which will be held at the Skoll Centre in spring 2004.

http://www.skollfoundation.org