Category Archives: Blog
The Power of New Ideas
by: The Skillman Foundation | Mar. 5th, 2019 Complex challenges require creative solutions. More importantly, they inspire passionate people to dream big and discover innovative ways to make a difference for the communities and causes they care about. To catalyze the growth of opportunity for youth of color in Detroit, the My Brother’s Keeper Detroit […]
Read more »Five Tips to Strengthen Your Literacy Funding Proposal
by: Terry Whitfield | Feb. 21st, 2019 The Skillman Foundation is seeking funding proposals to support literacy programs to be delivered this summer to Detroit youth aged 9 years old and younger. Below are five tips to ensure your application is strong! Watch our informational webinar from Friday, February 22, 2019. It is a great way […]
Read more »Request for Proposals: Detroit Summer Literacy Programs
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 15th, 2019 A Request for Proposals issued today by The Skillman Foundation will make $360,000 available for programs that improve reading proficiency for Detroit students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The funding will support literacy programs delivered over the summer of 2019 by nonprofit organizations working in partnership with […]
Read more »Introducing the Five MBK Detroit Innovation Challenge Finalists
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 13th, 2019 Hundreds of Detroiters were in attendance as five new ideas to support youth of color in Detroit were awarded $50,000 each through the second My Brother’s Keeper Detroit Innovation Challenge Tuesday night at the Michigan Science Center. Twenty semifinalist teams showcased their ideas through an interactive expo, […]
Read more »Leading for the Future
by: Tonya Allen | Feb. 11th, 2019 Originally posted in Crain’s Detroit Business here. Lately I’ve been inspired by Nelson Mandela’s quote: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Michigan must adopt this spirit of action. I encourage our new governor and legislative leaders to apply it courageously, first and foremost, to our education system. […]
Read more »Holding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Forefront
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 7th, 2019 It wasn’t long ago that telling an out-of-towner you were from Detroit would raise eyebrows, prompting sympathy or even repugnance. Now, Detroit is all the rage. News about a city on the rise has reached around the country and world. Burgeoning signs of economic opportunity have attracted […]
Read more »Keep Moving Forward: What I Learned from Detroit Youth Rising
by: Tyler Patterson | Feb. 4th, 2019 I recently had one of the most motivating and empowering experiences of my life. I was invited to attend the Detroit Youth Rising event in downtown Detroit. The evening featured a fireside chat between Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and Vista Equities founder Robert Smith, reportedly the richest African-American. […]
Read more »Launch Michigan Statewide Educator Survey Seeks Solutions From Frontlines
by: Launch Michigan | Feb. 4th, 2019 A statewide educator survey is kicking off today, gathering insights from the frontline experts in our schools about what’s needed to ensure every Michigan student succeeds. The survey is being fielded by Launch Michigan, a diverse alliance of education, labor, business and philanthropic organizations committed to establishing a […]
Read more »Four Tips for Launching a New Organization From Four People Who Recently Have
by: The Skillman Foundation | Jan. 31st, 2019 A lot can change in eight weeks. Even more can change in a year. When the finalists of the inaugural MBK Detroit Innovation Challenge hit submit on their applications in the spring of 2016, they never imagined the journey that lay ahead of them. At that point, […]
Read more »How Design Thinking is Helping Transform Ideas Into Reality
by: William Sexton | Jan. 24th, 2019 What would the world be without big ideas? They play a crucial role in creating change and developing solutions to our communities’ largest problems. But equally important to a big idea is a clear plan to transform it into reality. Making this transition is a key component of […]
Read more »21 Teams Compete for Seed Funding at MBK Detroit Innovation Challenge Expo
by: Natalie Fotias | Jan. 21st, 2019 Twenty-one new ideas to support youth of color in Detroit will be presented through the My Brother’s Keeper Detroit Innovation Challenge on Tuesday, February 12th at the Detroit Science Center. Teams will showcase their ideas through an interactive expo, followed by a pitch competition where six teams will […]
Read more »The Skillman Foundation Names David R. McGhee Associate Vice President of Organizational Excellence & Impact
by: Natalie Fotias | Jan. 18th, 2019 The Skillman Foundation has named David R. McGhee as associate vice president of organizational excellence & impact, a new role created to support the Foundation’s president & CEO and provide leadership across the organization. McGhee will help to shape and support key initiatives and projects, manage external relationships, […]
Read more »Celebrating the Career of Robert Thornon
by: The Skillman Foundation | Jan. 17th, 2019 After 17 years with The Skillman Foundation, Robert Thornton has retired leaving a legacy defined by service and a relentless commitment to the youth of Detroit. Since joining The Skillman Foundation in 2001, Robert has been an essential part of the organization’s work on behalf of Detroit […]
Read more »What Teach 313 Means to Me: Reflections from A Detroit Educator
by: Shawness Woods-Zende | Jan. 15th, 2019 The blog was originally published by Teach313. When I became a teacher, I knew that I loved kids and I wanted to be connected to them in an impactful way. What I did not know was the powerful effect the children and their families would have on me. Every […]
Read more »Michigan’s 49th Governor: Building a Playbook for Success
by: The Skillman Foundation | Jan. 7th, 2019 In December 2018, Deloitte Michigan Managing Partner Mark Davidoff and Crain Communications President KC Crain gathered a group of diverse business and community leaders for a roundtable discussion immediately following Michigan’s gubernatorial election. The discussion focused on how the group could help support newly-elected governor Gretchen Whitmer and her administration in […]
Read more »Who Will Lead Detroit (with 2017 annual reporting)
by: | Dec. 14th, 2018 This publication, produced in 2018, features stories and artwork by inspiring Detroit youth. ‘Who Will Lead Detroit” also highlights community members who live day in and day out for Detroit kids and provides information about the Foundation’s 2017 grantmaking and changemaking efforts. 50 People Who Represent the Heart of Detroit […]
Read more »Who Will Lead Detroit
by: The Skillman Foundation | Dec. 14th, 2018 Renowned Detroit artist Sydney G. James created the cover art for our latest annual report, Who Will Lead Detroit. The artwork highlights four talented Detroit youth making an impact in the city they call home. Curtis Roach – graduate, Cass Technical High School Kennedy Smith – 10th […]
Read more »Our 2017 Grantmaking
by: Natalie Fotias | Dec. 13th, 2018 2017 was a year of transition for The Skillman Foundation. On the heels of our Good Neighborhoods Initiative, which spanned from 2006–2016, we were embarking on our next chapter—the Opportunity Agenda for Detroit Children. The Opportunity Agenda continues our efforts to improve and expand opportunities for Detroit youth […]
Read more »The Greatest Story Never Told
by: Xavier Cuevas | Dec. 13th, 2018 I’ve read enough Greek myths and livedthrough enough Devil’s Night arsonsto know that fire purifies as much as itdestroys. Kills as much as it rebirths. And I’ve seen that same fire in enoughof my friends to know thatashes aren’t the end. Or the beginning. We are not beginning. […]
Read more »Meet Five Young Detroiters Getting Their Start in Philanthropy
by: William Sexton | Dec. 13th, 2018 When you visit The Skillman Foundation’s office, chances are you will be greeted by one of five young Detroiters who help work our front desk. These talented young people are all participants in The Skillman Foundation high school internship program, an initiative the Foundation has proudly supported in […]
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