About The Skillman Foundation
MISSION: We partner with people to transform the education system, nurturing the brilliance and power of Detroit youth.
VISION: Detroit youth are supported to design bold destinies.
Founded in 1960, The Skillman Foundation (“The Foundation”) is a private foundation that nurtures the genius of Detroit children and youth. Across its history, the Foundation has granted out more than $750 million and invests in people and organizations who support young Detroiters to be the designers of their future and who pursue transformational education systems change that centers youth power and racial equity/justice.
The Skillman Foundation believes that the people making decisions about education should have expertise in it. This means equipping those with firsthand experience to lead the reinvention of the education system, connecting people and policy.
The Skillman Foundation invests in Detroiters’ power and access to design an exceptional and equitable education system (ground building work), in lockstep with policymakers and others who are currently setting policies and practices (policy & systems work). The ultimate outcome it seeks to contribute to is an equitable education system that opens pathways to opportunity, where all partner for student success.
The Skillman Foundation is focused on four aims:
- Expand education organizing power.
- Advocate for education policymaking to center the insights and outcomes of Detroit youth.
- Build common ground for education system change.
- Be an accountable and racially equitable grantmaker.
In 2022, 54% of The Foundation’s grants went to BIPOC-led organizations, which is defined as an organization with a leader who is Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC) and with a board of directors where more than half are BIPOC. These grants accounted for 47% of the grant budget. The Foundation’s 2022 grantmaking marks a 20 percentage point increase in grants and 13 a percentage point increase in grant dollars to BIPOC-led organizations since we began analyzing this data in a 2019-2021 Racial Equity Audit. View the 2022 Racial Equity Audit by clicking [here].
The Skillman Foundation makes annual distributions of approximately $19M annually on assets of $550M. The Foundation has a staff of 22 and is governed by a 14-member Board of Trustees.
Learn more about The Skillman Foundation by visiting its website: www.skillman.org/. To access the 2022 Annual Report, please click [here].
The Opportunity
Reporting to the President & CEO, the Vice President, Program (“VP, Program”) provides both strategic and operational leadership to all program areas. This is a new role designed to shape, guide and implement the Foundation's grantmaking work while ensuring maximum impact, authentic engagement, operational efficiency and strong collaboration across teams.
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the VP, Program will work to build and enhance cohesion across the organization, playing an important role in setting the tone and culture of the Foundation as it evolves.
Additionally, the VP, Program will serve as a key spokesperson and representative of the Foundation as it engages with community organizations, educational institutions, philanthropies, government and policy leaders, civic groups, businesses and the media.