Shell Foundation
Shell Foundation is an independent charity that applies business thinking to the global development challenges of access to energy and transport services. The charity provides business support, grants and market connections to help social entrepreneurs prove new business models in low-income communities.
In 2020, Shell Foundation made additional funding available to help early-stage businesses it supports remain financially resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, Shell Foundation in partnership with the UK government and USAID provided more than $27 million to companies in Africa and South Asia.
Shell Foundation supports a company called Sistema.bio which produces biogas digesters that convert farm waste into fuel for cooking, heating or powering machinery.
Shell Foundation also delivered strategic business support to help the social enterprises and institutions maintain performance or adapt their operations.
In total, the 65 companies in Shell Foundation’s portfolio were able to reduce 8.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and improve the livelihoods of more than 20 million people.
In 2020, the charity’s portfolio included:
- Nayo Tropical Technology, a mini-grid developer powering COVID-19 health-care sites in Nigeria;
- Odyssey Energy Solutions, an online data platform for the mini-grid sector, provided project management and data analytics support for COVID-19 relief efforts, including a management platform for an energy access relief fund; and
- Tusker, a logistics firm based in India, which adapted its rural transport service to deliver vital health-care and energy products to villages and COVID-19 relief centres.
Read more about Shell Foundation’s work to increase access to renewable energy and affordable transport solutions at shellfoundation.org
