Partnership Grants

Our Partnership Grants fund organizations and efforts aligned to People Powered Education, our community-informed grantmaking strategy that connects people and policy to shape the future of education.

At this time, the Foundation makes grants primarily in alignment with our Ground Building and Policy & Systems strategies, mobilizing Detroit students, educators, and community members around the education changes they want to see and supporting statewide policy advocacy efforts that advance systemwide changes that benefit all Michigan students.

We award single and multi-year grants for general operating support as well as for specific projects.

If you are interested in learning more about the Foundation’s strategy and grantmaking, we encourage you to connect with members of our team and sign up for our monthly newsletter. Please note, we are not accepting unsolicited applications at this time.

President’s Discretionary Fund

Thank you for your interest in The Skillman Foundation and our President’s Discretionary Fund. Unfortunately, we are no longer accepting requests this year. Grant requests for 2026 will open in late January. Please stay in the know about developments to our strategies and grantmaking opportunities by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. Thank you for being a champion of Detroit youth.

Our President’s Discretionary Fund is a $1 million annual fund for small, one-time grants that support 501c3 nonprofits that serve Detroit youth but fall outside The Skillman Foundation’s grantmaking priorities. This is a limited, highly competitive fund, allowing us to support Detroit youth in ways beyond our strategy.

Our Grant Partner Requirements 

In order to be eligible for a grant from The Skillman Foundation, an organization must be: 

• Nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations or a government or public agencies (city, county, state, public school district) 
• Publicly supported charities as defined in Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code 
• Offering opportunity and service to all, in policy and practice, regardless of age, race, creed, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity 

We do not fund: 

• For-profit institutions 
• Endowments, building campaigns, or capital costs, including construction, renovation, or equipment 
• Political campaigns, political activities, or lobbying for or against pieces of legislation

Grant Partner Resources

If you are a current grant partner, please contact your partnership manager. Current grant partners seeking information about our grants management system (FLUXX), grant payments, reporting, and more can find these resources here.