{{short description|Canadian engineer, internet entrepreneur and film producer}} {{Use Canadian English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Jeffrey Skoll | honorific_suffix = OC | image = Jeff Skoll 2013 (5576999744).jpg | caption = Skoll in 2013 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|1|16}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | alma_mater = University of Toronto<br>Stanford University | occupation = * President of eBay (1996–1998) * Founder and chairman of Participant Media * Founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation | title = | spouse = {{marriage|Stephanie Swedlove|2014|2019|reason=divorce}} | partner = | children = | website = | imagesize = }}
'''Jeffrey Stuart Skoll''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}} (born January 16, 1965)<ref name=":1"/> is a Canadian engineer, billionaire internet entrepreneur and film producer. He was the first president of eBay, eventually using the wealth this gave him to become a philanthropist, particularly through the Skoll Foundation, and his media company Participant Media. He founded an investment firm, Capricorn Investment Group, soon after and currently serves as its chairman. Born in Montreal, Quebec, he graduated from the University of Toronto in 1987 and left Canada to attend Stanford University's business school in 1993.
Shortly after graduating from business school, he began his career at eBay, where he wrote the business plan that the company followed from its emergence as a start-up to a larger company. While at the company, he began the eBay Foundation which was allocated pre-IPO stock now worth $32 million. Once eBay's second-largest stockholder, behind Omidyar, he subsequently cashed out a portion of his company holdings, netting him about $2 billion.<ref name="telegraph" /><ref name=":0" /> With an estimated net worth of $4 billion (as of December 2016), Skoll was ranked by Forbes as the seventh wealthiest Canadian and 134th in the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeffrey-skoll/|title=Jeffrey Skoll|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref>
Through his former film production company, Participant–of which he was founder, owner, and chairman–he produced numerous critically acclaimed films. His first films ''Syriana'' (2005), ''Good Night, and Good Luck'' (2005), and ''North Country'' (2005), along with the documentary ''Murderball'' (2005), accounted for 11 Oscar nominations in 2006. His subsequent films have included ''An Inconvenient Truth'' (2006), ''Fast Food Nation'' (2006), ''The World According to Sesame Street'' (2006), ''Waiting for "Superman"'' (2010), ''Lincoln'' (2012), and his latest, ''Spotlight'' (2015) won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2016.<ref name=":2">[http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/oscar-nominations-are-not-goal-participant-media-ceo "Oscar nominations are not the goal: Participant Media CEO"], ''Marketplace'', February 21, 2013. Interview by Kai Ryssdal with Participant CEO Jim Berk. Retrieved February 21, 2012.</ref>
== Early life == Jeff Skoll was born to a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.<ref>''[http://www.calcalist.co.il/local/articles/0,7340,L-3359295,00.html Calcalist.co.il]''</ref><ref>[http://www.thocp.net/biographies/skoll_jeff.htm Biography], The History of Computing Project</ref><ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/who-said-jews-run-hollywood/ Times of Israel: "Who said Jews run Hollywood? -Inaugural list of 100 prominent players in Tinseltown shows a lack of diversity – and a whole lot of MOTs" by Lisa Klug] June 23, 2016</ref> His mother was a teacher<ref name=telegraph>"The thinking man's movie mogul", ''Telegraph Magazine'' August 26, 2006</ref> and his father was a chemical company owner who sold industrial chemicals.<ref>Cohen, Adam, [http://www.twbookmark.com/books/51/0316164933/chapter_excerpt16883.html ''The Perfect Store: Inside Ebay''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630123157/http://www.twbookmark.com/books/51/0316164933/chapter_excerpt16883.html |date=June 30, 2006 }}, {{ISBN|0-316-16493-3}}</ref> The family settled in Toronto in the late seventies. When Skoll was fourteen, his father was diagnosed with cancer which prompted him to discuss with his son how much he regretted not having had the time to do everything he had planned in life. His first job was pumping gas at a York Mills gas station.
He graduated with a BASc with honours in 1987 from the University of Toronto's electrical engineering program. While an undergraduate student, he co-edited the engineering students' satirical newspaper ''The Toike Oike.'' He paid his way through college by pumping gas in North York, Ontario. After graduating he backpacked around the world for several months before returning and founding two businesses in Toronto: Skoll Engineering, an information technology consulting firm and Micros on the Move Ltd., a computer rental firm. He left Canada in 1993 to earn a Master of Business Administration degree at Stanford Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1995. After Stanford he worked on internet projects for publishing company Knight-Ridder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://skoll.org/about/meet-jeff-skoll/|title=Skoll {{!}} Meet Jeff Skoll|website=skoll.org|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref>
== Skoll's eBay era == {{Further|eBay}} In 1996, Skoll met eBay's founder Pierre Omidyar, who hired him as the company's first president and first full-time employee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jeff Skoll |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-skoll/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Lifestyles |date=2022-03-30 |title=Jeff Skoll – Lifestyles Magazine |url=https://lifestylesmagazine.com/governing-committee/jeff-skoll/ |access-date=2024-10-29 |language=en-CA}}</ref> While eBay was already profitable at the time Skoll joined, he wrote the business plan that eBay followed in subsequent years, using a typical five-year projection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=magazine |first=STANFORD |date=2012-03-07 |title=The Whole World in His Plans |url=https://stanfordmag.org/contents/the-whole-world-in-his-plans |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=stanfordmag.org |language=en}}</ref> He remained President until the arrival of Meg Whitman in January 1998 when he became Vice President, Strategic Planning and Analysis until back problems necessitated his departure from full-time employment at the company. In 1998, he championed the creation of the eBay Foundation, which was allocated pre-IPO stock now worth $32 million. Once eBay's second largest stockholder, behind Omidyar, he subsequently cashed out a portion of his company holdings, yielding him around $2 billion.<ref name="telegraph" /><ref name=":0">Malone, Michael S., [https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.02/skoll.html "The indie movie mogul"], ''Wired'' magazine, February 2006.</ref>
== Participant ==
In 2004, Skoll founded the company Participant to create films that increase public awareness of critical social issues and give audiences opportunities to get involved through education and social action campaigns.<ref>Chong, Rachael (September 23, 2013). "Jeff Skoll On How He Uses The Power Of Storytelling To Push For Change". ''Fast Company''. Retrieved September 24, 2020.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rainey|first=James|date=March 31, 2015|title=Jeff Skoll Aims to Fix Participant's 'Broken' Parts|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/jeff-skoll-participant-interview-1201463011/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2005, Skoll's first Participant productions were released, with Syriana; Good Night, and Good Luck; North Country; and Murderball, together garnering 11 Oscar nominations.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last1=Matthew Bishop|first1=Michael Green|last2=Fall 2013|title=Changing the World Through Storytelling|url=https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/philanthropy-magazine/article/fall-2013-changing-the-world-through-storytelling|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Philanthropy Roundtable|language=en}}</ref> A year later, Skoll financed and played a key role in the creation of the environmental documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which grew out of a slideshow developed by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on the climate crisis. The film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.<ref>{{Cite web|title='An Inconvenient Truth,' 10 Years Later: Al Gore, Jeff Skoll and More Dish in THR's Oral History {{!}} Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/an-inconvenient-truth-10-years-894691|access-date=2020-11-19|website=www.hollywoodreporter.com|date=19 May 2016}}</ref> "I would never have predicted that a film like ''An Inconvenient Truth'' would impact so many people", Skoll told Philanthropy Roundtable.<ref name=":3" />
The Financial Times reported in 2009 that Participant allows Skoll to "pursue social and political causes through a mass medium. From modest beginnings, the company (which Skoll chairs, supported by a team of executives) is now a serious player."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Stefan |date=June 12, 2009 |title=Lunch with the FT: Jeff Skoll |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9bdfb524-56dd-11de-9a1c-00144feabdc0 |access-date=November 19, 2020 |website=Financial Times}}</ref> Fortune wrote the next year that Skoll's films are not typical Hollywood fare, "they tackle weighty subjects such as eco-Armageddon, petro-terrorism, education reform, and women's rights. In short they tend to reflect Skoll's progressive, and ultimately optimistic, worldview that shining a light on the world's problems will inspire people to band together to bring about change on a large scale. (Indeed, the name 'Participant' evokes a call to action.)"<ref>{{Cite web|title=How this Canadian Billionaire Superhero Backs Heady Causes and Finances Serious Films|url=https://fortune.com/2010/10/18/jeff-skoll-becoming-superman/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Fortune|language=en}}</ref>
Skoll has served as executive producer or producer on nearly 100 Participant films, including ''Spotlight'', ''Roma'', and ''American Factory'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.philanthropy.com/article/How-Participant-Media-Tries-to/247828 |title=How Participant Media Tries to Spark Social Change Through Film |access-date=November 19, 2020|website=www.philanthropy.com|date=January 10, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramos|first=Dino-Ray|date=January 13, 2020|title=The Obamas Congratulate 'American Factory' Filmmakers On Oscar Nomination, Say Docu Is What They "Hope To Achieve With Higher Ground"|url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/american-factory-oscar-nomination-documentary-barack-obama-michelle-obama-netflix-steven-bognar-julia-reichert-jeff-reichhert-1202828874/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref> and as of 2019 Participant has won 18 Oscars and received 73 Academy Award nominations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=18. Jeffrey Skoll {{!}} Los Angeles Business Journal|url=https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2019/sep/20/wealthiest-2019-18-jeffrey-skoll/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=labusinessjournal.com|date=September 20, 2019 }}</ref> In 2020, the company received another Academy Award nomination and win for best documentary feature for ''American Factory''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carey|first=Matthew|date=February 10, 2020|title='American Factory' Reaches Highest Ground With Oscar Documentary Feature Win|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/america-factory-wins-oscar-best-documentary-feature-obamas-1202855601/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref>
According to The Hollywood Reporter, in 2014 Skoll funded the creation of the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, saying at the time: "I founded Participant Media in the belief that a story well told has the power to ignite positive social change. This new center at UCLA TFT is an extension of that vision, with the goal of empowering a new generation and elevating storytelling as a tool to create impact and empower people to connect to the social issues that can have a profound impact on our world."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weinstein|first=Shelli|date=November 12, 2014|title=Jeff Skoll, UCLA Launch Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment|url=https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/jeff-skoll-ucla-skoll-center-1201354704/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2019, Participant and the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment released a report, "The State of Social Impact Entertainment", that said: "social impact entertainment — narrative and documentary film, television, theater, and emerging forms that engage audiences in solving real-world challenges — is not a fad but the future of the entertainment industry."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Candid|title=Report Offers Guidance on Social Impact Entertainment|url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/report-offers-guidance-on-social-impact-entertainment|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)|language=en}}</ref>
In 2019, on behalf of Participant, Skoll and Participant CEO David Linde accepted the newly created TIFF Impact Award from the Toronto International Film Festival;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Participant's Jeff Skoll, David Linde to Receive Toronto Fest Tribute {{!}} Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/participants-jeff-skoll-david-linde-receive-toronto-fest-tribute-1221369|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=www.hollywoodreporter.com|date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> in 2020 the award was renamed the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, and has continued to be awarded to filmmakers whose work has had a social impact as part of the TIFF Tribute Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yap|first=Audrey Cleo|date=September 11, 2020|title=Director Mira Nair Addresses 'A Suitable Boy' White Writer Controversy|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/mira-nair-andrew-davies-a-suitable-boy-controversy-1234766151/|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>
Skoll announced in April 2024 that Participant was shuttering.<ref name="barnes-nyt-24">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Brooks |title=Participant, Maker of Films With Social Conscience, Calls It Quits |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/business/media/participant-jeff-skoll.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 16, 2024}}</ref>
== Philanthropy == Skoll is a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and a Giving Pledge signatory.<ref name="Paynter">{{Cite web|last=Paynter|first=Ben|date=June 27, 2017|title=Meet The Winners Of The Carnegie Medal Of Philanthropy|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40435087/meet-the-winners-of-the-carnegie-medal-of-philanthropy|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="theglobeandmail.com">{{Cite news|title=Meet the Canadian billionaire who's giving it all away|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/meet-the-canadian-billionaire-whos-giving-it-all-away/article4209888/|access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref> He has given the eponymous Skoll Foundation approximately $1 billion of eBay stock since its formation in 1999. The Foundation supports "social entrepreneurship".<ref>{{Cite web|title=An Open Letter To Jeff Skoll|url=https://www.opnlttr.com/letter/open-letter-jeff-skoll|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Open Letter|language=en}}</ref>
As of 2020, Skoll has been working for over ten years to help prevent pandemics and other global threats.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dolan|first=Kerry A.|title=How The Billionaire Behind The Movie 'Contagion' Is Working To Stop This Pandemic—And The Next One|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2020/06/24/how-the-billionaire-behind-the-movie-contagion-is-working-to-stop-this-pandemic-and-the-next-one/|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> In 2009, Skoll donated $100 million to create the Skoll Global Threats Fund to confront threats including climate change, water security, pandemics, nuclear proliferation, and Middle East conflict.<ref name="philanthropy.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Jeff-Skoll-Adds-100-Million/248629|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=www.philanthropy.com |title=Jeff Skoll Adds $100 Million to His Efforts to Fight the Pandemic|date=April 24, 2020 }}</ref> The Fund created and spun off a stand-alone non-profit entity, Ending Pandemics, that focuses on pandemic detection and response.<ref name="Schultz">{{Cite web|last=Schultz|first=Abby|title=Jeff Skoll's $100M for Covid-19 Builds on Legacy Fighting Pandemics|url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/jeff-skolls-100m-for-covid-19-builds-on-legacy-fighting-pandemics-01588275503|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=www.barrons.com|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2011, Skoll's film company Participant co-produced the film ''Contagion'' to raise awareness about the dangers posed by pandemics. Skoll wanted the film be scientifically sound and encourage funding of medical experts; In 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic media coverage noted it was "shocking in its accuracy".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Farr|first=Christina|date=April 14, 2020|title=The medical advisors for the movie 'Contagion' saw a pandemic coming, but got one big thing wrong|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/14/contagion-movie-advisors-anticipated-pandemic.html|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref>
In January 2020, Skoll donated $20 million, and an additional $100 million in April, to the Skoll Foundation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="Schultz"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Dolan|first=Kerry A.|title=The Billionaire Behind The Movie 'Contagion' Just Gave $100 Million To Fight Coronavirus|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2020/04/28/the-billionaire-behind-the-movie-contagion-just-gave-100-million-to-fight-coronavirus/|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> The funds were used to assist with testing, contact tracing, and provide respiratory devices and other medical equipment to countries that couldn't afford it.<ref name="philanthropy.com"/>
Skoll is active in "collaborative philanthropy" and has joined with other philanthropists and foundations to pool resources that then flow to non-profits focused on addressing specific issues at scale.<ref name="barrons.com">{{Cite web|last=Schultz|first=Abby|title=How Co-Impact Collaborates for Change|url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/how-co-impact-collaborates-for-change-01561057063|date=June 20, 2019|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Barron's|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2017, Skoll, joined with others to create Co-Impact, a philanthropic funding collaborative seeded with $500 million,<ref name="Bach">{{cite news |title=Some of the World's Top Billionaires Are Pooling Their Fortunes for a New Philanthropic Venture |last=Bach |first=Natasha |url=https://fortune.com/2017/11/15/bill-gates-melinda-rockefeller-skoll-wadhwani-chandler-co-impact/ |work=Fortune |date=November 15, 2017 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref> whose "specific aim is to fund organizations that are addressing health, education and economic opportunity in low-to-middle income countries".<ref name="barrons.com"/>
Similarly in 2018, Skoll, Chris Anderson, Virgin Unite, among others launched The Audacious Project, a philanthropic funding collaborative with an initial investment of $250 million for "audacious ideas" that deliver "impact at scale". Some of the first recipients of funding from The Audacious Project included the Environmental Defense Fund, Sight Savers, and The Bail Project.<ref name="Cheney">{{cite news |title=New $250M Audacious Project from TED announces first recipients |last=Cheney |first=Catherine |url=https://www.devex.com/news/new-250m-audacious-project-from-ted-announces-first-recipients-92495 |work=Devex |date=April 11, 2018 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref>
Skoll has funded the creation of academic centers at two universities. In 2003, Skoll funded the creation of the Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University's Said Business School. The center is a research center, hub for innovators, and host of the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stern|first=Stefan|title=Lunch with the FT: Jeff Skoll|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9bdfb524-56dd-11de-9a1c-00144feabdc0|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Financial Times|language=en-US}}</ref> Called the "Davos for the nonprofit set" by ''Forbes'',<ref name="DolanPhil">{{cite news |title=Questioning Big Philanthropy At The Skoll World Forum: Is It Too Powerful And Out Of Touch? |last=Dolan |first=Kerry A. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2019/04/16/questioning-big-philanthropy-at-the-skoll-world-forum-is-it-too-powerful-and-out-of-touch/#684b2bf96253 |work=Forbes |date=April 16, 2019 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref> Skoll World Forum participants have included leading thinkers from South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.<ref name="theglobeandmail.com"/> In 2019, Skoll also funded the creation of the Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The center is dedicated to promoting social change through entertainment and the arts.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weinstein|first=Shelli|title=Jeff Skoll, UCLA Launch Skoll Center for Social Impact Entertainment|url=https://variety.com/2014/biz/news/jeff-skoll-ucla-skoll-center-1201354704/|date=November 12, 2014|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2005, Skoll financed The Gandhi Project in partnership with Relief International which created a dubbed version in Arabic of the film ''Gandhi''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Dana|date=April 6, 2005|title='Gandhi' in Mideast|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/gandhi-in-mideast-1117920653/|access-date=July 17, 2020|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref> They used Palestinian voice actors and artists to make the film particularly relevant to Palestinians. With Skoll's support, it was screened throughout Palestine to promote non-violence, self-reliance, economic development, and empowerment.
In 2000, Skoll gave C$7.5 million to the University of Toronto to endow three chairs and establish the Jeffrey Skoll BASc/MBA Program, a joint program of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and the Rotman School of Management.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Degrees/MastersPrograms/JointDegrees/SkollMBA/About-the-Skoll-MBA|title=Uniting science, technology and business skills|publisher=Rotman|access-date=January 19, 2022}}</ref>
===Impact investing=== Skoll was one of the earliest proponents of socially responsible investing, called "impact investing", through which he invests in for-profit companies whose mission is to deliver both social impact and financial returns.<ref name="Dolan">{{Cite web|last=Dolan|first=Kerry|title=One Of Impact Investing's Earliest Proponents, Jeff Skoll Invests Big Money To Combat Climate Change|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2018/10/03/one-of-impact-investings-earliest-proponents-jeff-skoll-invests-big-money-to-combat-climate-change/#732fd78222c0|date=October 3, 2018|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2001, Skoll created Capricorn Investment Group "on the premise of socially responsible investing" and the firm now oversees more than $5 billion in client assets and another $3.5 billion in partnership with other organizations.<ref name="TSR">{{cite news |title=Capricorn Investment Group Pours Billions Into Impact Investing |url=https://www.thesoftwarereport.com/capricorn-investment-group-pours-billions-into-impact-investing/ |work=The Software Report |date=May 6, 2019 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref> According to Forbes, a "significant portion" of Capricorn's assets "has been put to work backing mostly private companies that are in some way aiming to help the environment and combat climate change".<ref name="Dolan"/> Capricorn's early investments included electric carmaker Tesla, Inc., battery technology developer QuantumScape, and air taxi developer Joby Aviation.<ref name="Dolan"/> Other investments include private equity fund Encourage Solar Finance to promote rooftop solar installations in India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Impact 50|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2019/10/02/impact-50-5-billion-and-more/#4d2e911017d3|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2016, Skoll, along with Bono and investment firm TPG, co-founded The Rise Fund, a $2 billion social-impact fund with "a series of strict metrics by which to measure social impact".<ref name="Sorkin">{{cite news |title=A New Fund Seeks Both Financial and Social Returns |last=Sorkin |first=Andrew Ross |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/business/dealbook/a-new-fund-seeks-both-financial-and-social-returns.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 19, 2016 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref> Rise's investments fall across seven sectors, including agriculture, education, and healthcare, and since 2017, "Rise has invested in more than 25 growth-stage companies that are making a measurable positive social and/or environmental impact".<ref name="SchultzRise">{{cite news |title=Future Returns: How TPG's Rise Fund Invests in Energy |last=Schultz |first=Abby |url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/future-returns-how-tpg-growths-rise-fund-invests-in-energy-01569953521 |work=Barron's |date=October 1, 2019 |access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref>
== Other activities == In November 2022, Skoll bought a minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wallace |first1=Ava |title=Billionaire Jeff Skoll joins Monumental Sports as minority investor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/29/jeff-skoll-monumental-sports/ |access-date=November 28, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 28, 2022}}</ref>
== Personal life == In 2014, Skoll married television executive Stephanie Swedlove.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/jeff-skoll-participant-interview-1201463011/|title=Jeff Skoll Aims to Fix Participant's 'Broken' Parts|website=Variety|first=James|last=Rainey|date=May 31, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref> In January 2019, it was announced Skoll had filed for divorce from Swedlove.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theblast.com/roma-producer-billionaire-jeff-skoll-divorce/|title='ROMA' Producer, Billionaire Jeff Skoll Files for Divorce|website=The Blast|date=January 16, 2019|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref>
== Honors and awards == * Bloomberg Business Week's list of most innovative philanthropists (2002–present)<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/stocks|title=Stocks|website=Bloomberg.com|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> * National Leadership Award for Commonwealth Club Silicon Valley (2004)<ref name=":1" /> * Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the International Association of Fundraising Professionals (2003)<ref name=":1" /> * Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Silicon Valley chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (2002)<ref name=":1" /> * Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto (2003)<ref name=":1" /> * Time Magazine's 100 People of the Year (2006)<ref name=":1" /> * Wired Magazine's Rave Award (2006)<ref name=":1" /> * He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his generous commitment to social causes and for his innovative practice of philanthropy."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/meet-the-canadian-billionaire-whos-giving-it-all-away/article4209888/|title=Meet the Canadian billionaire who's giving it all away|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|access-date=December 26, 2016}}</ref> (2011)<ref name=":1" /> * Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy (2017) <ref>{{Cite web|title=Jeff Skoll Awarded Carnegie Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Philanthropy|url=https://www.medalofphilanthropy.org/in-the-news|access-date=August 13, 2022|website=Medal of Philanthropy|language=en}}</ref>
== Filmography == ===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2004 || ''House of D'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="4"| 2005 || ''Good Night, and Good Luck'' || executive producer |- | ''North Country'' || executive producer |- | ''Syriana'' || executive producer |- | ''American Gun'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="3"| 2006 || ''The World According to Sesame Street'' || executive producer |- | ''An Inconvenient Truth'' || executive producer |- | ''Fast Food Nation'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="8"| 2007 || ''Chicago 10'' || executive producer |- | ''Angels in the Dust'' || executive producer |- | ''Man from Plains'' || executive producer |- | ''Darfur Now'' || executive producer |- | ''The Kite Runner'' || executive producer |- | ''Charlie Wilson's War'' || executive producer |- | ''The Visitor'' || executive producer |- | ''Man from Plains'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="3"| 2008 || ''Standard Operating Procedure'' || executive producer |- | ''Pressure Cooker'' || executive producer |- | ''Food, Inc.'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="2"| 2009 || ''The Soloist'' || executive producer |- | ''The Informant!'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="7"| 2010 || ''The Crazies'' || executive producer |- | ''Furry Vengeance'' || executive producer |- | ''Waiting for "Superman"'' || executive producer |- | ''Fair Game'' || executive producer |- | ''Countdown to Zero'' || executive producer |- | ''Cane Toads: The Conquest'' || executive producer |- | ''Casino Jack and the United States of Money'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="5"| 2011 || ''The Beaver'' || executive producer |- | ''The Help'' || executive producer |- | ''Contagion'' || executive producer |- | ''Last Call at the Oasis'' || executive producer |- | ''The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="5"| 2012 || ''A Place at the Table'' || executive producer |- | ''State 194'' || executive producer |- | ''Lincoln'' || executive producer |- | ''Promised Land'' || executive producer |- | ''No'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="5"| 2013 || ''Snitch'' || executive producer |- | ''Made in America'' || executive producer |- | ''The Fifth Estate'' || executive producer |- | ''The Square'' || executive producer |- | ''The Unknown Known'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="10"| 2014 || ''Ceaser Chavez'' || executive producer |- | ''The Great Invisible'' || executive producer |- | ''Misconception'' || executive producer |- | ''The Prophet'' || executive producer |- | ''The Ardor'' || executive producer |- | ''The Hundred-Foot Journey'' || executive producer |- | ''Out of the Dark'' || executive producer |- | ''Merchants of Doubt'' || executive producer |- | ''Citizenfour'' || executive producer |- | ''A Most Violent Year'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="7"| 2015 || ''3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets'' || executive producer |- | ''The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'' || executive producer |- | ''He Named Me Malala'' || executive producer |- | ''Bridge of Spies'' || executive producer |- | ''Beasts of No Nation'' || executive producer |- | ''Our Brand Is Crisis'' || executive producer |- | ''Spotlight'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="10"| 2016 || ''Zero Days'' || executive producer |- | ''The Music of Strangers'' || executive producer |- | ''Death by a Thousand Cuts'' || executive producer |- | ''Neruda'' || producer |- | ''The Light Between Oceans'' || executive producer |- | ''Denial'' || executive producer |- | ''Deepwater Horizon'' || executive producer |- | ''Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life'' || executive producer |- | ''A Monster Calls'' || executive producer |- | ''Midsommer in Newtown'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="7"| 2017 || ''An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power'' || producer |- | ''Melting Ice'' || executive producer |- | ''A Fantastic Woman'' || executive producer |- | ''Shot Caller'' || executive producer |- | ''Human Flow'' || executive producer |- | ''Far from the Tree'' || executive producer |- | ''Wonder'' || executive producer |- | rowspan="8" | 2018 || ''The Price of Free'' || executive producer |- | ''7 Days in Entebbe'' || executive producer |- | ''Foster'' || executive producer |- | ''This is Climate Change'' || executive producer |- | ''Roma'' || executive producer |- | ''Aquarela'' || executive producer |- | ''Green Book'' || executive producer |- | ''On the Basis of Sex'' || executive producer |- | rowspan="8"| 2019 || ''The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'' || executive producer |- | ''American Factory'' || executive producer |- | ''Captive State'' || executive producer |- | ''Watson'' || executive producer |- | ''Slay the Dragon'' || executive producer |- | ''Just Mercy'' || executive producer |- | ''Sing Me a Song'' || executive producer |- | ''Dark Waters'' || executive producer |- | rowspan="4"| 2020 || ''John Lewis: Good Trouble'' || executive producer |- | ''Final Account'' || executive producer |- | ''American Utopia'' || executive producer |- | ''Totally Under Control'' || executive producer |- | rowspan="8"| 2021 || ''My Name is Pauli Murray'' || executive producer |- | ''Judas and the Black Messiah'' || executive producer |- | ''Unseen Skies'' || executive producer |- | ''White Coat Rebels'' || executive producer |- | ''Stillwater'' || executive producer |- | ''Costa Brava, Lebanon'' || executive producer |- | ''The Good House'' || executive producer |- | ''The First Wave'' || executive producer |- |rowspan="5" | 2022 || ''Descendant'' || executive producer |- | '''¡Viva Maestro!'' || executive producer |- | ''Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power'' || executive producer |- | ''A Compassionate Spy'' || executive producer |- | ''All the Beauty and the Bloodshed'' || executive producer |- | rowspan="2"| 2023 || ''White Bird'' || executive producer |- | ''We Grown Now'' || executive producer |- | 2024 || ''Rob Peace'' || executive producer |- |}
===TV series=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2013 || ''Jersey Strong'' || executive producer |- | 2013 || ''Teach'' || executive producer |- | 2014 || ''HitRecord on TV'' || executive producer |- | 2014 || ''Human Resources'' || executive producer |- | 2014–2016 || ''Please Like Me'' || executive producer |- | 2015–2016 || ''Angry Planet'' || executive producer |- | 2015 || ''Secret Lives of Americans'' || executive producer |- | 2016 || ''Truth to Power'' || executive producer |- | 2018 || ''America to Me'' || executive producer |- | 2019 || ''When They See Us'' || executive producer |- | 2020 || ''Noughts + Crosses'' || executive producer |- | 2020 || ''City So Real'' || executive producer |- | 2022 || ''Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey'' || executive producer |- | 2024 || ''Conbody vs. Everybody'' || executive producer |- | 2026 || ''Trust Me: The False Prophet'' || executive producer |}
== See also == * List of billionaires * List of Canadians * List of University of Toronto people * List of Stanford University people
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.skollfoundation.org Skoll Foundation] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100928221544/http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/skoll/Pages/default.aspx Skoll Centre, Oxford University] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050822141305/http://www.participantproductions.com/ Participant Productions] * {{IMDb name|1568142}} * [https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_skoll_my_journey_into_movies_that_matter My journey into movies that matter], talk at TED March 2007 * Wood, Gaby, [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/08/features.politicsandthearts The Observer – ''Hollywood's new politics''], January 8, 2006 *[https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/10/PB9U.html Forbes – "The World's Richest People"] February 13, 2006 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060827172507/http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/10/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=10&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=PB9U&datatype=Person Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest People 2004] * [http://www.transformationalleadershiphq.com/jeff-skoll-and-the-changing-face-of-philanthropy/ Jeff Skoll and Philanthropy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310171721/http://www.transformationalleadershiphq.com/jeff-skoll-and-the-changing-face-of-philanthropy/ |date=March 10, 2011 }}, ''transformationalleadershiphq.com''
{{s-start}} {{s-bus}} {{s-bef| rows = 2 | before = New title }} {{s-ttl| title = Chief Executive Officer of eBay | years = 1996–1998 }} {{s-aft| rows = 2 | after = Meg Whitman }} {{s-ttl| title = President of eBay | years = 1996–1998 }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoll, Jeffrey}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:American billionaires Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles Category:Businesspeople from Montreal Category:Businesspeople in information technology Category:Businesspeople in online retailing Category:Canadian billionaires Category:Canadian businesspeople in the computer industry Category:Canadian computer scientists Category:Canadian engineers Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Film producers from Quebec Category:EBay employees Category:21st-century Canadian philanthropists Category:Canadian philanthropists Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Businesspeople from San Jose, California Category:Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni Category:University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering alumni Category:21st-century Canadian businesspeople Category:20th-century Canadian businesspeople Category:People from Woodside, California Category:American film production company founders Category:Jewish American film people Category:Jewish Canadian film people Category:Monumental Sports & Entertainment