The Shackleton Foundation improves the lives of disadvantaged young people across the UK. We do this through our unique leadership investment programme, inspired by legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s incredible courage and resilience in the face of adversity. We support social entrepreneurs who embody the leadership spirit of Shackleton; brave innovators with a creative vision to directly improve the lives of socially and economically marginalised young people.
The Shackleton Leadership Award
True to the spirit of Shackleton himself, we take calculated risks in supporting social entrepreneurs who demonstrate high potential and a vision to make a difference. They will have long-lasting, far-reaching projects with the potential to benefit disadvantaged young people in the UK.
We provide assistance with practical aspects of starting up a social venture. This includes seed-funding and access to our Shackleton Leaders alumni network, so that we can give you the best chance of maximising impact and building a sustainable business model.
Our Logo
To mark our 10th anniversary we designed a new logo. It features a reworking of one of the most iconic Shackleton images – the hauling of the lifeboat across the Weddell Sea.
The original photo was taken by Frank Hurley and shows one of the lifeboats, probably the James Caird, being hauled by the crew across the frozen sea ice.
It is often assumed that the man in the hat apparently overseeing the hauling is Shackleton, but in fact it is Frank Wild, his second in command. Shackleton is thought to be one of those on the ropes.
As an image it encapsulates all the qualities that we look for in our potential Shackleton Leaders: leadership by example, teamwork, endurance in the face of adversity and calculated risk taking.