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The Skillman Foundation is one of Detroit’s most influential philanthropic organizations, using millions of dollars to shape education policy and priorities in the city.
As Detroit’s public schools struggle with chronic underfunding, low literacy rates, and crumbling infrastructure, Skillman’s decisions hold real weight for educators, parents and children.
Angelique Power, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, joined The Metro during the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference to talk about how the foundation is leveraging its wealth and influence to truly change the trajectory for Detroit kids.
Power said while people across Michigan want something better for Detroit youth, the education systems in the city are "complicated."
"History matters in terms of the things that have happened to Detroit," she said. "Whether it is things that policy has done, things that philanthropy sometimes have done, often it happened to Detroiters, or for Detroiters, but not with Detroiters."
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
By WDET5
33 ratings
The Skillman Foundation is one of Detroit’s most influential philanthropic organizations, using millions of dollars to shape education policy and priorities in the city.
As Detroit’s public schools struggle with chronic underfunding, low literacy rates, and crumbling infrastructure, Skillman’s decisions hold real weight for educators, parents and children.
Angelique Power, president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, joined The Metro during the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference to talk about how the foundation is leveraging its wealth and influence to truly change the trajectory for Detroit kids.
Power said while people across Michigan want something better for Detroit youth, the education systems in the city are "complicated."
"History matters in terms of the things that have happened to Detroit," she said. "Whether it is things that policy has done, things that philanthropy sometimes have done, often it happened to Detroiters, or for Detroiters, but not with Detroiters."
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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