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=**The Schwab Foundation** =



http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/index.htm

= = = What is the Schwab Foundation? = The Schwab Foundation was first founded by Pamela Hartigan, and Hilde Schwab and Klaus Schwab as the co-founders. In the summer of 2000, Hartigan was asked to be the Director of the foundation for Klaus and Hilde. At the time, the Schwabs had funds which derived from their investments in Geneva, Switzerland. Therefore, they have decided to establish the Schwab Foundation to raise awareness of social entrepreneurship to sustainable development.

"The Foundation has been a dream of ours for many years. My belief always has been that in the end, economic and social progress can only be achieved through entrepreneurship of all kinds. The Foundation enables us to encourage and foster entrepreneurs working for the public interest— to support them and provide them with access and funding to an international platform for experience exchange that they might otherwise lack. We wanted to create a mechanism from the bottom up. This approach differs from the approach of the World Economic Forum, which I founded 30 years ago. At the World Economic Forum, we have built global communities that convene every year at Davos and also in different regions, to search for joint solutions to crises or problems at the macroeconomic and geopolitical level. At the beginning of the 21st century, it becomes more evident that social progress cannot depend only on high level cooperation among global decision-makers, but also requires community-driven social entrepreneurship on a broad scale." //-Klaus Schwab-//

 MISSION

The Schwab Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides unparalleled platforms at the national, regional, and global levels for leading social innovators that highlight social entrepreneurship as a key element to address social and ecological problems in an innovative, sustainable, and effective way. Also, the Foundation does not give grants or invest financially in the organizations of its selected social entrepreneurs.





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=What do they do? =  1. **IDENTIFY** the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Over the past eight years, the Foundation has been selecting twenty to thirty social entrepreneurs annually from around the world to its network of leading social entrepreneurs. The social entrepreneurs are selected from more than thousand candidates that apply each year either to national [|Social Entrepreneur of the Year] competition or directly to regional selection of the Foundation. (check out the profiles of the winners: [|profiles of winners])

2. **COMMUNITY BUILDING**: Currently, over hundred and fifty social entrepreneurs make up the Schwab Foundation. They come from around the world and work in wide range of sectors, but they have many challenges and characteristics in common. The Foundation fosters peer-to-peer exchange of the social entrepreneurs and supports the replication of their methodologies among each other. ([|videos])

3. **CONNECTING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:** The Foundation supports the participation and active involvement of its selected social entrepreneurs at the regional and global meetings of the[| World Economic Forum]. The meetings offer unique opportunities for social entrepreneurs to connect with corporate, political, academic, media, and other leaders.

4. **GENERATING SOLUTION IN PARTNERSHIP**: Social entrepreneurs participate in [|Forum initiatives], the conversations shaping the future agendas of industries, and are experts for the [|Forum’s Global Agenda Councils]. The Foundation works with selected companies to advance specific activities of social entrepreneurs or initiatives that support social entrepreneurship.

5. **NEXT GENERATION OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS**: The Foundation works with the[| Forum of Young Global Leaders] to identify rising social entrepreneurs with a significant impact under the age of forty.

6. **OTHER SERVICES**: The Foundation works with Harvard, Stanford, and INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration) to provide scholarship opportunities to the best executive education courses in the field to the selected social entrepreneurs. The Foundation works closely with leading academic institutions to publish case studies on specific social entrepreneurs for incorporation in undergraduate and graduate level courses

=Example =

In Turkey, Entrepreneur Aynur Bektas built a clothing company where women are mostly employed with the exception of few men to make clothing for average wages. The employees produce t-shirts for large brand as their main source or work. The women are however satisfied with their average wage because according to one woman, she doesn't have to rely on her husband for money or ask for money. She also said that it boosts her self-esteem because she can manage to buy things for herself and kids. However, the company was affected by the global market crisis worrying the workers even though condition has improved. On the other hand, Bektas took charge and told the workers to participate in organizing the future of the company with her encouraging them to take parts in action. In order to preserve the company, Bektas talks with the mayor to work out ideas and dedicates effort for her workers and the future of business. Also, the people who can't receive education can find job at her clothing company especially women preventing young people from moving away. (http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,4298153_type_video_struct_12046_contentId_4297435,00.html)

(For more examples go to: http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/Media/Videos/index.htm )

=Questions =

1. Why is the Schwab Foundation different from other social entrepreneur foundations? (It focuses on broad range of activities rather than specifically focusing on certain activity).

2. What is the purpose of selecting or identifying the leading social entrepreneurs annually?

3. What is the purpose of the Schwab Foundation offering scholarships and providing programs on social entrepreneurship in universities and academic institutions?

4. How is the Schwab Foundation's mission different compared to other social entrepreneur organizations?

5. How does the World Economic Forum have an impact on the Schwab Foundation?

=Bibliography =  http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/index.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28p19nnRhs http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_single_mediaplayer/0,,4298153_type_video_struct_12046_contentId_4297435,00.html