The Skillman Foundation

This holiday season, The Skillman Foundation President’s Youth Council, a dedicated group of young Detroiters ages 13-23, granted $250,000 to 30 nonprofits that are supporting youth across Detroit.

This year marks the fourth round of grants from our Youth Council—but with a new approach. For the first time, the Youth Council expanded its reach by developing an open call for grant applications. Council members invited proposals from organizations that are increasing youth leadership and voice in Detroit.

The process was entirely youth-led, with council members setting the scope, criteria, and reviewing each application.

“Young people won’t just inherit the future, they’ll determine it. You can see from the programs our youth council members chose that they’re readying themselves to lead thoughtfully and boldly,” said Skillman Foundation President & CEO Angelique Power. “Our President’s Youth Council made these decisions from start to finish. They invited grants, designed a scoring rubric, debated, and directed a quarter of a million dollars.”

“We get to see a different perspective through a call for applications, not just from our experiences but from others,” said high school junior and youth journalist Ian Robinson. “It was a lot more unique this year. There were still many youth-serving orgs focused on mentorship and tutoring; there were also things like cooking and addressing food security. Last year, we focused on mental health and afterschool programs, but this time the grants provided a lot of insight into other issues in different parts around the city.”

The open call received over 50 submissions from youth-led and youth-serving nonprofits. College sophomore and youth organizer Eva Oleita reflected on the review process, “We had training on how to go through grant applications and everyone was excited to learn to learn more because we all wanted that educational piece on What is philanthropy? Why are we even giving out this money? What is the importance of philanthropy in this work?”

Eva added, “We all come from so many different backgrounds and we bring different expertise, it was nice to work with everyone and talk through our decision making—where we disagree and agree—and look at things from a different perspective.”

President’s Youth Council reviewing and discussing grant applications with each other.

2024 President’s Youth Council grant recipients

1 Michigan for the Global Majority – $5,250 

1 Michigan for the Global Majority empowers marginalized individuals and fosters intergenerational and cultural unity through education, advocacy, and community-centered initiatives that promote equality, fairness, and inclusion.  

482Forward – $7,500 

482Forward is an education organizing coalition dedicated to ensuring every student in Detroit graduates ready to become a fully engaged participant in the world, equipped with character and capacity to negotiate their environment and change it for the better.

Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center – $7,500 

Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center creates a welcoming space where people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and cultures can find support and unconditional acceptance where they can learn, grow, socialize, and feel safe.

Carol’s House of Refuge – $11,575 

Carol’s House of Refuge provides a dynamic environment where Detroit youth thrive through innovative programs, mentorship, and leadership development opportunities.

Changing Lives and Staying Sober (CLASS) – $5,250 

Changing Lives and Staying Sober (CLASS) provides innovative, holistic programs and services to address mental health and substance misuse, improving quality of life in a holistic way.

Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance – $11,575 

Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance’s mission is to revitalize and sustain a healthy community where residents have access to and promote a high quality of life; all children live in a village where they are safe, educated, and have access to unlimited resources; and youth are involved in neighborhood revitalization and decision making.

Detroit African Youth Development Organization (DAYDO) –  $7,500 

Detroit African Youth Development Organization (DAYDO) enhances the living standard for African migrant communities in the U.S. and low-income populations in Africa through education, economic, and social development programs.

Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM), fiscally sponsored by Allied Media Projects – $7,500 

Detroit Area Youth Uniting Michigan (DAYUM) nurtures strong youth organizers through youth-led campaigns that make a material difference in communities.

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy – $11,575 

Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy inspires young Detroiters (ages 10-24) through culinary arts, wellness skills, workforce readiness programs, and holistic leadership.

DEVKEY, fiscally sponsored by The Institute for AfroUrbanism – $7,500 

DEVKEY’s mission is to inspire 10% of Detroit youth under 14 to be globally competitive computer scientists by the year 2030.

L!FE Leaders – $7,500 

L!FE Leaders empowers youth to direct their future and the future of Detroit.

Life Remodeled – $7,500 

Life Remodeled serves Detroit neighborhoods by transforming school properties into one-stop hubs of opportunity, offering youth programs, workforce development, and human services for families.

L.I.V.E Outreach – $5,250 

L.I.V.E Outreach’s mission is to “refresh, renew, and revive” by assisting with housing, financial support, career development, and life skills training for youth 12-17 in foster care and in underserved communities.

Michigan Student Power Alliance – $5,250 

Michigan Student Power Alliance is an intergenerational network that organizes, educates, and provides a vast spectrum of care to sustain youth movements.  

Michigan Urban Youth Alliance – $5,250 

Michigan Urban Youth Alliance bridges the gap between government agencies and the community through traditional and non-traditional sports and enrichment programs that engage youth and provide pathways to higher education and careers.

Mirrored Glass, Inc. – $11,575 

Mirrored Glass, Inc. connects young professionals and artists through multidisciplinary collaborations, workshops, and community-centered activations.

No Barriers 2 Success – $11,575 

No Barriers 2 Success offers skill-building programs to Detroit youth ages 16 – 24, fostering youth leadership and resilience.

One Love Global – $11,575 

One Love Global transforms communities so Black children experience justice, peace, healing, opportunity, and abundance.

Racquet Up Detroit – $11,575 

Racquet Up Detroit empowers youth to reach their full potential through a long-term,
demanding, and inspiring mentoring program of squash, academics, and community service.

RTTM Community Center – $11,575 

RTTM Community Center offers innovative, accessible programs that promote health, employment, and collaboration.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea – $11,575 

Sugar Honey Iced Tea educates youth ages 13-25 about self-care and sexual health through workshops, community outreach, and social engagement events.

The Better Men Outreach Program – $5,250 

The Better Men Outreach Program challenges stereotypes and fosters leadership development by creating safe spaces for young Black men to build character, enhance well-being, and pursue upward social mobility.

The City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods, fiscally sponsored by Detroit Public Safety Foundation – $7,500 

The City of Detroit Department of Neighborhoods (DON), established in 2014, connects the City of Detroit with block clubs, community groups, businesses, local leaders, and residents to combat blight and enhance neighborhoods. DON’s Youth Affairs Team increases youth leadership by creating pathways for young Detroiters to take active roles in shaping their neighborhoods and driving impactful change.

The Detroit Creativity Project – $7,500 

The Detroit Creativity Project transforms the lives of Detroit youth through improvisation, building confidence, creativity, and collaboration.

The Gary B Initiative, fiscally sponsored by Umoja Debate Team – $7,500 

The Gary B Initiative empowers communities and institutions through educational organizing with a youth-centric pedagogy that expands political and social consciousness to drive social change.

The Konnection – $7,500 

The Konnection inspires youth to broaden their horizons through positive relationships and healthy connections.

The Young Voices Action Collective (YVAC) Education Fund, fiscally sponsored by the Poise Foundation – $5,250 

The YVAC Education Fund empowers Black and Indigenous youth, youth of color, and their families through its State of the Young storytelling tool, restorative justice, and trauma-informed care, fostering agency and resilience in communities.

Trespass Project, fiscally sponsored by Chapel Vision Community Development Corporation – $11,575 

The Trespass Project leverages modern technology to help youth better understand the legal system and equips them to achieve positions of power.

Women of Banglatown – $7,500 

Women of Banglatown is a neighborhood-based community arts organization that provides a supportive, culturally sensitive space for arts and well-being programming for first-generation and immigrant girls and young women ages 10-26 from the Banglatown neighborhood of Detroit and Hamtramck.

YouthTank Detroit – $7,500 

YouthTank is a grassroots organization that builds opportunities for young people in Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to create their own career pathways and community prosperity.