Donations to the General Fund will go into Ashoka's Venture Fund for Leading Social Entrepreneurs, which will rapidly expand Ashoka’s community and support the next generation of Ashoka Fellows.  The Venture Fund will help Ashoka keep pace with the growing number of leading social entrepreneurs worldwide, and will direct stipend support where innovators are emerging and investment is most critical. The Venture Fund is designed to support and expand every aspect of Ashoka’s Venture program. The Venture fund is neither for profit nor an endowment: as such it will enable Ashoka to maximize its investment in the world’s leading social entrepreneurs by allocating resources to the geographic and issue areas of most need. Electing more Fellows in more countries will help Ashoka discover more strategic solutions to the world’s problems.  

The Venture Fund has been established with a founding gift from the Oswald Family Foundation in honor of their father, Charles W. Oswald, former CEO of National Computer Systems of Minneapolis and current chairman of Rotherwood Investments.  An advisor and supporting partner to countless entrepreneurs during his career, Charley understands the critical role that investing in people plays in bringing forth new ideas and integrating change.  Charley writes, “Through Ashoka’s Venture Fund my family and I share in supporting the most creative people in every field and on every continent. The opportunity to connect our resources with such transformative global change is invaluable for everyone involved. Clearly, it’s one of the most satisfying and effective investments we’ve made.”