Frequently asked questions

Shell Foundation is an independent UK-registered charity that operates with a global mandate.

Our mission is to help create and scale inclusive business solutions that empower communities. We enable millions of underserved people to raise their incomes with clean energy access in Africa and Asia.

Shell Foundation was established by the Shell Group in 2000 to tackle global barriers to inclusive development related to energy, the environment and sustainable economic growth.

Shell Foundation was established with an endowment to ensure our long-term financial independence. The Shell Group has also made additional donations on an annual basis since inception. We significantly leverage further unrestricted and restricted donations from public and private partners at the to further our charitable objectives.

We make use of a variety of instruments to optimize impact for the people we serve. These may include grants, convertible grants, concessionary loans, fund investments, financial guarantees, and de-risking facilities. All social investments are reviewed to ensure that any private benefit generated is incidental to the delivery of public benefit and Shell Foundation’s charitable objectives.

Shell Foundation is registered with the UK Charity Commission. Shell Foundation sets strategy and pursues our objectives independent of any government, company or other entity. Since inception, and in line with our charitable mission, Shell Foundation has a mixed board of trustees with an independent Chairperson, financial independence, business principles, clear and regular reporting, and transparent protocols.

Shell Foundation works on charitable purposes as defined by the UK Charity Commission. Shell Foundation’s aim of enabling people to raise incomes with clean energy access primarily comes under two key charitable objects: 

1. The prevention or relief of poverty 
2. The advancement of environmental protection or improvement 

 The prevention or relief of poverty: Addressing and tackling the causes of poverty and assistance to those at risk of deprivation before they have fallen into poverty. Relieving anyone who does not have the resources to provide themselves and their families with the normal things of life which most people take for granted. i.e. those earning below a net living wage. The advancement of environmental protection or improvement: Conservation of the environment generally and/or promotion of ‘sustainable development’, i.e. sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration. Shell Foundation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to benefit the public at large by enabling the people it serves, at scale, to use clean energy assets or electric vehicles to raise incomes to benefit the public at large. 

Shell Foundation wants to hear from aligned organisations who believe profound change can come from clean energy solutions that raise incomes while cutting emissions. The partnerships we seek can be classified into innovators, scale partners, and finance partners. Innovators are developers of customer-centric hardware that increases incomes and reduces emissions, or digital platforms that connect people to new products, services and markets. Proven sector leaders already reaching millions of smallholder farmers, micro-entrepreneurs and transporters that target scale, who seek to generate new markets and customer bases, to find new income drivers and new sources of capital through climate finance. Finance partners are those designing or already in market with instruments that provide appropriate growth finance to ventures or address affordability for customers. Get in contact to partner with us