The new Skoll Global Threats Fund [2]unveiled its first round of grants today with the announcement of a $1 million grant to Ploughshares Fund to combat the threat posed by nuclear weapons. The Skoll Global Threats Fund was created in 2009 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll [3] to support innovative ideas and individuals addressing global challenges "which, if unchecked, could bring the world to its knees."

“The challenges we face are huge and complex and we need to leverage better the many disparate efforts underway to tackle them," said Skoll, who also founded Participant Media [4] and the Skoll Foundation [5] and served as eBay's first president. “We must create powerful networks of like-minded partners, build public consciousness and drive policy choices that work.  “We are deeply gratified by the Skoll Global Threats Fund's endorsement of our work,” said Roger  Hale [6], chairman of Ploughshares Fund’s Board of Directors.  “It is an honor to be among its first grant recipients.”  Added Joe Cirincione [7], “we are proud to join Jeff Skoll and Larry Brilliant [3] as partners in their visionary support of efforts to combat the biggest challenges the world faces today. Their investment in efforts to reduce nuclear threats could not have come at a more critical moment .”