College and Career Pathways
The Skillman Foundation Named 2017 Winner of HUD Secretary’s Award
Council on Foundations and HUD recognize the Skillman Foundation for outstanding work in building stronger communities through government partnerships
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations (COF) today announced that The Skillman Foundation is one of 10 winners of the 2017 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships.
The award was presented to The Skillman Foundation at the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas, earlier this morning. It honors innovative and impactful cross-sector initiatives that have increased the quality of life for low- and moderate-income Americans living in urban, suburban, and rural communities. The Skillman Foundation received the award for Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, a summer jobs program for Detroit youth.
“The 10 initiatives being honored are an inspiring reminder that when philanthropy and government work together and lead together in cross-sector partnerships, their collaborations can achieve incredible results for the communities we collectively serve,” said Council President and CEO Vikki Spruill. “On behalf of the Council, I congratulate each of the outstanding foundations being awarded today.”
Ten awards were given to place-based funders for completed or ongoing projects that are executed in partnership with a local, regional, or federal government agency. The winners are:
| Foundation | Location | Project Name |
| The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation | Tulsa, OK | Alleviating and Preventing Homelessness/Building Tulsa, Building Lives |
| Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | King and Pierce Counties, WA | Public Housing Authority-School District Partnerships Initiative |
| Capital One Foundation | New York, NY | Y-PLAN (Youth – Plan, Learn, Act, Now) |
| Community Foundation of the Lowcountry | Hilton Head Island, SC | Project SAFE (Sewer Access for Everyone) |
| The JP Morgan Chase Foundation | Ohio, Florida, Colorado, California | PRO Neighborhoods: ReFresh Initiative |
| The Kresge Foundation | Detroit, MI | Detroit Home Mortgage |
| Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | Summer Night Lights (SNL) |
| The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation | New Hampshire | Collective Action, Collective Impact |
| Nusenda Foundation | Albuquerque, NM | Albuquerque Living Cities Integration Initiative |
| The Skillman Foundation | Detroit, MI | Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT) |
HUD’s Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation and the COF have co-hosted the Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships since 2012. The winners were selected by a panel of 12 judges — six from HUD and six from the Council on Foundations — based on materials submitted following an open call for nominations issued this past February. Further information on each of today’s winners can be found at HUD’s website.