Angelique Power, president and CEO of the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation, speaks with eJewishPhilanthropy on the power — and necessity — of centering trust within grantmaking. “What’s complicated about philanthropy is that money and power are often synonymous,” Power says, “And so while the sector is directed at helping, being the arbiter of how capital moves makes you — in some ways, it jeopardizes trust, just in that act right there. It creates this uneven scenario where people are coming to you asking for funding.”
Through the interview, Power lifts up long-recommended practices: providing unrestricted general operating support; releasing burdens on grantmaking and grantee reporting; removing metrics that are strenuous. Knowing how grantmaking has changed during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Power offers funders an opportunity to reflect on why and how these have been possible and the power trust can have in creating a future we want for the field.