Shell Foundation

Charity Number: 1080999

Annual Expenditure: £20.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £15-25 million
  • Success Rate: Highly selective (historically <25% success rate)
  • Decision Time: Strategic partnership approach (varies)
  • Grant Range: Strategic partnerships (amounts vary)
  • Geographic Focus: Africa and Asia

Contact Details

  • Website: www.shellfoundation.org
  • Email: info@shellfoundation.org
  • Phone: 020 7934 2727
  • Registered Charity: 1080999

Overview

Shell Foundation is an independent UK-registered charity established in 2000 with an initial $250 million endowment from Shell. The foundation enables millions of people in Africa and Asia to increase their incomes through clean energy solutions. With 183 million people benefited to date, Shell Foundation has evolved from a traditional grant-maker to a strategic partner focusing on scaling transformative social enterprises. The foundation spends £15-25 million annually and aims to deploy over $45 million in grant funding by 2025. Their 10-year objective is to enable tens of millions of people to raise incomes while lowering emissions through clean energy solutions by 2032.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

  • Strategic Partnerships: Multi-year partnerships with proven social enterprises
  • Catalytic Funding: Risk-tolerant capital for high-risk, transformative ideas
  • Capacity Building: Business support alongside grant funding
  • Application Method: Strategic partnership model (not open applications)

Priority Areas

  • Distributed renewable energy (DRE) for off-grid communities
  • Clean energy solutions for smallholder farmers, transporters, and micro-entrepreneurs
  • Income-generating energy solutions in Africa and Asia
  • Gender-inclusive energy access (empowering as many women as men)
  • Sustainable mobility solutions

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside Africa and Asia focus
  • Projects not related to clean energy and income generation
  • Traditional charity models without business sustainability
  • One-off grants without strategic partnership potential
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Governance and Leadership

CEO: Jonathan Berman (appointed 2024)

Chair: Gail Klintworth (former Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever)

The foundation is governed by 10 trustees including a minority of Shell executives (4) and an independent chairperson. Gail Klintworth noted Jonathan's “experience, intelligence, and passion” for Shell Foundation's model upon his appointment.

Key Philosophy: “Failure is acceptable, providing you learn, you learn quickly and you share lessons widely” - reflecting their approach to high-risk innovation.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Shell Foundation does not operate traditional open grant applications. Instead, they work through strategic partnerships, identifying and co-creating solutions with proven social entrepreneurs and sector leaders already reaching millions of people.

Decision Timeline

Strategic partnership approach means timelines vary. The foundation describes itself as “nimble in decision-making and solution design.”

Success Rates

Historically very low success rates with traditional grant-making (>75% failure in early years). Now highly selective, focusing on fewer strategic partnerships with higher success potential.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable due to strategic partnership model rather than traditional applications.

Application Success Factors

Shell Foundation looks for:

  • Proven Scale: Partners already reaching millions or with committed resources to scale
  • Financial Independence Potential: Businesses capable of achieving sustainability
  • Innovation: Solutions addressing difficult problems other funders won't touch
  • Evidence-Based Approach: Data-driven impact measurement
  • Gender Inclusion: Demonstrable commitment to empowering women equally
  • Market-Creating Potential: Ability to catalyze inclusive markets

Recent Success Example: S4S Technologies won the 2023 Earthshot Prize (£1 million) in the 'Build a Waste-Free World' category as a Shell Foundation portfolio partner.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Shell Foundation operates through strategic partnerships rather than open applications
  • They focus exclusively on Africa and Asia with clean energy/income generation nexus
  • Extremely selective - they've evolved from >75% failure rate to strategic partnership model
  • Require demonstrated scale potential and path to financial independence
  • Gender inclusion is mandatory, not optional
  • Evidence-driven approach essential - must have data to support scaling claims
  • High-risk tolerance but expect rapid learning and lesson sharing
  • Business sustainability model preferred over traditional charity approach

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