Today, we are proud to announce the 2026 Schwab Foundation Awardees!
This yearās cohort brings together 21 social entrepreneurs and innovators from 17 organisations, working across the globe to address some of our most pressing challenges ā from emergency medical services and clean water access, to education, climate resilience, womenās empowerment and civic engagement.
At a time of global disruption and constrained funding, the 2026 awardees demonstrate what it means to build solutions that are both resilient and systemic. Together, they join a global community of 510 social innovators whose work has improved the lives of more than 950 million people worldwide.
In partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Motsepe Foundation the Schwab Foundation Awards recognise leaders who move beyond isolated interventions to reshape markets, policies and institutions, showing how social innovation can drive inclusive growth and long-term impact at scale.
The awardees span four categories: Social Entrepreneurs, Corporate Social Innovators, Public Social Innovators, and Collective Social Innovators. Each brings a distinct perspective, yet all share a commitment to collaboration, innovation and social change.
Learn more about the 2026 awardees and their impact at schwabfound.org/2026-awardees
Social Entrepreneurs
Kibret Abebe (Tebita Ambulance, Ethiopia)
Ioana Bauer SĒndescu (eLiberare, Romania)
Minhaj Chowdhury (Drinkwell, Bangladesh)
Mario Haberfeld (OnƧafari, Brazil)
Omar Itani (FabricAID, Lebanon)
Olivia Onyemaobi (Pad-Up Creations, Nigeria)
Ana MarĆa Raad Briz (Fundacion REimagina, Chile)
Piyush Tewari (SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF), India)
Corporate Social Innovators
FranƧois-Ghislain Morillion (@VEJA France)
Karen Basiye (Safaricom PLC, Kenya)
Hamzah Sarwar (Reckitt, UK)
Public Social Innovators
Mamadou Ndiaye (Ministry of Microfinance and Social and Solidarity Economy, Senegal)
Orlando Rojas (Laboratorio de Gobierno, Chile)
Viviantie Sarjuni (Institut Keusahawanan Negara, Malaysia)
Collective Social Innovators
Emad Adly and Ghada Ahmadein (RAED-Arab Network for Environment & Development, Egypt)
Talia Milgrom-Elcott and Maya Morales Garcia (Beyond100K USA)
Juliana Uribe Villegas, Mariana DĆaz and Lina Torres (Movilizatorio, Colombia)
#SchwabAwards26 #WEF26
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