Category Archives: News
News from the Skillman Foundation on education, economy and equity for all Detroit Youth.
Understanding Gen Z’s Political Sway
by: The Skillman Foundation | May. 13th, 2024 This panel discussion took place at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. Gen Z adults account for about one in six Americans eligible to vote, and they’re turning up at the polls more than any other youth cohort in history. This panel […]
Read more »What is systems change?
by: Laila Bell | May. 3rd, 2024 How can foundations effectively contribute to changing complex systems, like Detroit’s education system? The team at The Skillman Foundation is on a journey to deepen our understanding of how we can best leverage our organization’s resources to improve education in Detroit. The following blog shares practical insights from […]
Read more »Learning from Detroiters through community design workshops
by: Laila Bell & Tyler Parlor | May. 2nd, 2024 The Skillman Foundation has been deeply engaged in listening, learning, and co-designing with Detroiters. We’ve heard young people paint bold visions for their future, teachers share the joys and heartache of the profession, grassroots leaders reflect on how philanthropy has both helped and harmed change […]
Read more »President’s Youth Council speak on mayor’s State of City Address
by: Tyler Parlor | Apr. 26th, 2024 We support Detroit youth in understanding and exercising their power to create change in education systems and policies. On the approach of Detroit’s State of the City (SOTC) address we invited two of our President’s Youth Council members to get in on the conversation. We asked them to […]
Read more »Job opening & staff updates
by: The Skillman Foundation | Apr. 17th, 2024 The Skillman Foundation is activating new, community-informed strategies, partnering with people to transform the education system. To support our efforts, we’re welcoming new team members. We’re seeking a Vice President of Program. This role will lead the Foundation’s grantmaking strategies and team. Reporting to the president & […]
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Our journey toward racially equitable grantmaking
by: Jessica Brown | Apr. 5th, 2024 What does it mean to be an equitable grantmaker? And a racially equitable grantmaker? We’re figuring it out day by day, learning from others and trying out our own new ideas and approaches. Our latest learning exchange was at the PEAK Grantmaking conference, which I had the pleasure […]
Read more »There is a Direct Line Between Quality Public Education and Quality of Life
by: Angelique Power | Mar. 25th, 2024 This piece was originally published with the Detroit Regional Chamber. If fewer than 20% of Detroiters believe children have access to high-quality public schools, as the Detroit Resident Voices Survey Report suggests, the first question is: how does one define a quality school? We have asked Detroiters of all ages. The […]
Read more »Storytelling Across Capitol Hill
by: Tyler Parlor | Mar. 15th, 2024 Throughout my experience with the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) and Michigan philanthropy my strong belief in the power of storytelling and narrative has been reinforced time and again. I recently attended Foundations on the Hill (FOTH) with a cohort of over 30 representatives from Michigan foundations. This experience […]
Read more »Representation matters in our schools
by: Carmen Kennedy-Rogers | Mar. 14th, 2024 Representation matters in our schools at every level, from who leads a classroom all the way out to who sets an education policy. Together, students, parents, caregivers, educators, and community members know what’s needed to boost educational outcomes and nurture whole child development, caring for the brains and […]
Read more »Sharing our offices with the McGregor Fund
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 27th, 2024 The McGregor Fund has moved from its longtime location in downtown Detroit to offices within The Skillman Foundation suite at the Talon Centre on the Detroit River. The McGregor Fund’s staff of six will occupy a suite of offices and share meeting and convening spaces that we […]
Read more »Let’s Talk: Education Equity from Advocacy to Implementation
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 12th, 2024 Over the past few years, the State of Michigan has dramatically increased its investment to support out-of-school-time learning. There is greater bi-partisan recognition that an exceptional and equitable education system requires investment in learning opportunities after school and over the summer. Budgeting the dollars is only part […]
Read more »How One Teen is Changing the Youth Justice System From the Inside
by: Tyler Parlor | Feb. 9th, 2024 Photo of Cayden Brown courtesy of Kim Brown Photography. Videos and family photo taken by Tyler Parlor. Youth today have complicated, demanding schedules. With so many things for them to juggle, it’s hard to imagine how 17-year-old Cayden Brown also manages his obligations as a Juvenile Defense Attorney […]
Read more »Shifting our strategy to support Detroit’s afterschool system
by: The Skillman Foundation | Feb. 7th, 2024 The Skillman Foundation shares the evidence-informed and equity-centered process we developed for a grantmaking transition as well as key lessons learned. What we did and what we learned The Skillman Foundation team spent 2023 carefully transitioning one changemaking strategy while forming a new one. This is the […]
Read more »Gen Z Design Sessions: A Year Later
by: The Skillman Foundation | Jan. 31st, 2024 With time comes change. Organizations, institutions and public systems must be continually recreated to meet the prospects and possibilities of the future. Doing this successfully takes understanding and involving the future generations–our young people. The current generation of youth, Gen Z, is intentional about the future they […]
Read more »Putting the ‘public’ in public policy
by: Kendra Howard, Terry Whitfield & Tyler Parlor | Jan. 18th, 2024 At last week’s Detroit Policy Conference, organized by the Detroit Regional Chamber, much conversation centered around the recently released report from Governor Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council which highlighted key issues and proposed solutions to boost the state’s population and economy by focusing […]
Read more »New Trustees and Staff Changes
by: The Skillman Foundation | Jan. 3rd, 2024 The Skillman Foundation is headed into a big year—activating new strategies and partnering with people to transform Michigan’s education system. Contributing to this work, the Foundation has welcomed two new trustees and has announced a staffing change. Two new members have been appointed to The Skillman Foundation’s […]
Read more »Another Poem Before We Close Our Offices for the Year
by: Angelique Power | Dec. 19th, 2023 We are here. We made it. We are here. Here through office flood and office reimagining. From board meeting to new meaning. Here with bigger love due to new babies,and quieter love due to lost family members. Here through sabbaticals and health battles and new wellness journeysacross so many terrains. We […]
Read more »Detroit youth send $200,000 to education and mental health programs
by: The Skillman Foundation | Dec. 7th, 2023 The Skillman Foundation President’s Youth Council was given $200,000 to grant out to nonprofits serving Detroit youth. The teens decided to fund 15 organizations, focused on education and mental health. Participating in two-year terms, youth serving on the President’s Youth Council are tasked with distributing large sums […]
Read more »The power of storytelling in systems change
by: Imani Foster & Natalie Fotias | Nov. 30th, 2023 “Small shifts in mindset can trigger a cascade of changes so profound that they test the limits of what seems possible.” – Dr. Carole Dweck What power does a story hold? Stories can introduce us to people and places we’ve never encountered, allowing us to […]
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