Saturday, May 25th, 2013
We're all working hard to pay the bills, feed the kids, and build the life and world of our dreams. This ordinary couple work night and day, but they share long-lasting chemistry and humor that keep the daily grind full of ... possibilities. (
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Saturday, May 18th, 2013
The end of poverty. Equal opportunity for all. We're just an ordinary family with a vision of a world where everyone has access to education, jobs, peace, and possibility. (
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Sunday, April 28th, 2013
What is "Seeds of Hope"? World-changing social entrepreneurs; passionate nonprofit directors; and courageous students, survivors, and workers strive every day to build a better life. Their stories will feed your hope. Subscribe to get or stay on our mailing list. (
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Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Blistering sun beats down in a rural village far from plumbing, electricity, or comfort; yet we had an experience that far surpassed our expectations. Sometimes, travel brings the happiest surprises. (
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Thursday, April 18th, 2013
A psychiatrist/professor puts the Boston Marathon into the almost-sacred cultural context many of us natives, visitors, and Boston-transplants know well, and asks, will heartbreak ever feel the same again? (
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Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
A man in a north India village shows what happens after decades of scrounging for unsteady work and meager meals, when simple a change in his ecosystem brings orders to his door. The power of social entrepreneurship connects Shivanandan to his local social-mission weaving business in Bihar, to our jobs-creation partners at Upaya Social Ventures in Seattle, to our U.S. family—who also could not eat if not for a steady paycheck. (
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Sunday, March 31st, 2013
17-year-old Frances grew up in a large, Mexican-American family so stressed by kids and bills that she learned just to be silent and smile. When her mentor kept asking, she began to think she might matter to the world, more than she'd imagined. It took the support of her hiking group in the mountains of Wyoming to convince her to trust them, and herself. Read her story in her own words. (
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Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that the fastest-growing segment of philanthropy is among people just like us: the little guys. Skees Family Foundation believes that any old person, in any circumstances, can change the world one volunteer hour, one social-investment dollar, at a time. You're proving us right. (
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Monday, March 18th, 2013
Our San José, California friends at Opportunity Fund offer business, education, and immigration microloans to the working poor in the U.S. Through a 2:1 matching-grant program, their clients also have socked away $13 million in savings since 1998. And the rest of us are learning to save: from 1% of U.S.income during the pre-recession boom, to about 4% now. Read what innovative nonprofits can teach the rest of us about profits . . . (
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Friday, March 8th, 2013
This piece by our partners at Upaya Social Ventures shares realtime case studies from three social enterprises to show what's needed in-between the desire to create jobs as a means toward poverty alleviation, and long-term, large-scale programs that actually succeed. (
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Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
Eve Ensler, founder of our partner V-Day that works to end violence around the world, has been in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the last month. She shares her experiences with the women at the City of Joy center for healing education, and agriculture, and how the movement for peace feels youthful, vibrant, reaching far beyond the rain-soaked paths of Africa. (
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Friday, March 1st, 2013
“Breaking bread is so symbolic, all around the world. We’re going to have fun in this class and offer one new choice each day.”—Chef Anthony Head, “The People’s Chef” (
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Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
A small group gathers on a snowy winter's night to feast for peace. (
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Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
Really, do we have to get political in order to effect social change? Spending a week in the capital listening to senators and advocates, journalists and filmmakers, we discovered a surprising alternative to polarized paralysis. (
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Monday, January 21st, 2013
A moment in time: at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, poet Richard Blanco, the first Latino and openly gay inaugural poet, tracks a ray of sun across the hills and valleys of America, retraces the steps of our ancestors, and maps out a constellation of hope for our future together. (
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Monday, January 7th, 2013
A thought-provoking New York Times op-ed asks whether we truly can evolve to care for all of humankind. (
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Monday, December 3rd, 2012
Today, on the United Nations' "Day for Persons with Disabilities," we celebrate one small woman who rallied resources she didn't even have to create equality and care for kids with disabilities, just like her son. (
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Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
Gauging our progress this year in our foundation's triangle of intentions: seed-funding innovative programs to end poverty; engaging three generations of family members in collaborative giving; and telling stories of unsung heroes doing the real work to equalize opportunity and end poverty worldwide. (
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Thursday, November 29th, 2012
Grammy-nominated musician Carolyn Malachi has launched her new video for "Free Your Mind" as a fundraiser: Every click buys one hour of class time for high school students in East Africa. (
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Friday, November 23rd, 2012
Malawan Lejalle used to beg for credit at local shops so she could feed her family. Now she and her partners own a successful business in Northern Kenya, and they’re using their savings to send 17 kids to school. (
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Thursday, November 15th, 2012
Guest post by 17-year-old Aaron tells the story of how he was orphaned at 14 and quickly became the man of the family. He recalls yearning for his dad, sinking into sadness, and then pulling himself up toward his life goals—with a little help from Summer Search. (
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Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
How do we choose among many social entrepreneurs in an increasingly blurred field of
for- and non-profits aiming for social good? Eavesdropping on two goat farmers in India, I wondered if our strategy had something in common with theirs. (
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Sunday, October 28th, 2012
On the road in India with guest blogger Gerry Levandoski: His second piece offers more detail on how and why we add education and healthcare to microfinance programs. (
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Monday, September 24th, 2012
This is no Venice: shacks slide down toward the Amazon River in this east-side slum of Iquitos, Peru, a rainforest community of 65,000 facing crime, drugs, trafficking, domestic abuse, poverty, unemployment, 30% literacy, annual flooding, and lack of jobs, clean water, hygiene, and healthcare. What our team witnessed and why our partners can't wait to begin work here. (
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Sunday, September 2nd, 2012
Guest blogger Gerry Levandoski gives a vivid tour of two cities—the sheltered and the street-dwelling—he glimpsed all at once, on our first day together traveling with Freedom from Hunger. (
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Tuesday, August 21st, 2012
This study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy shows trends that may surprise you: giving by income, state, city, and age. Guess who gave the most?—those who earned the least. (
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Saturday, August 4th, 2012
Sometimes, a little overhead reaps far greater efficiencies. We hired a back-office team to manage administrative, accounting, and archiving for us, so that we can focus on program advising and storytelling for our partners. Reported by Manuela Badaway for Reuters. (
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Friday, July 13th, 2012
Working in a region of India infamous for its dire poverty and corruption, Lokesh and his team studied dairy-business models and value-chain needs until they figured out a novel way to lift families out of poverty—while also building a profitable business. (
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Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
This story, published by a local Silicon Valley newsjournal, shares the growing success of a student mentoring and adventure program we seed-funded in its startup years: Summer Search Silicon Valley. (
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Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
What kind of life could families create if they had basic access to birth control? The Gates Foundation plans to find out, by providing contraception to 120 million women in the developing world, focusing especially in Africa. (
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Monday, June 25th, 2012
This weekend V-Day opened "I Am an Emotional Creature" in Berkeley, CA and it's a sassy, shocking, clever, joyful collage of cultural and violent crimes against girls—and the power of whom we discover when they break free. (
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Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Grammy-nominated indie-jazz singer Carolyn Malachi teams up with The School Fund to keep students in school with the power of music. (
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Friday, June 15th, 2012
Our family has many leaders; perhaps yours does too. We all lead quietly in various contexts, just by our being. Peter Bregman suggests that we need not always be "in control." (
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
The Chronicle of Philanthropy, citing the just-released 2012 Millennial Impact Report, reveals 20-35-year-olds' propensity to volunteering, fundraising, and giving—particularly for organizations with whom they have an established relationship. (
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Thursday, May 24th, 2012
It's graduation season and we're happily celebrating two college grads in our family, Brienne and Elisabeth. We're even more excited that through our new social-impact investment in Vittana, we'll help give thousands more kids a shot at school, too. (
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
Tony Schwartz of The Energy Project offers 12 life-lessons as he turns 60. His thoughtful blogs are always worth a pause, and his "lessons" can transform our day at any age. (
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Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
Award-winning photographer Nancy Farese reports from the DRC and Rwanda on "Telling Stories about the Pain of Others" through images and words. (
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Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
Let's hope this Partners-in-Health cofounder, with a preferential option for the poor, will turn global banking into a true partnership with those it serves. (
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Monday, April 16th, 2012
Huffington Post story shows what happens when social-change activists from two continents ask what's needed and then design sustainable solutions together. (
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Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Sometimes, travel leads us to the most unexpected discovery of home. (
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Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
18 years after the genocide in which 1 million residents were tortured and murdered by their neighbors—while the international community turned away—Rwanda remembers, so as not to repeat. (
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Mother-and-daughter's values clash in rural northern India. Is this what happens to teenagers everywhere, or does living in extreme poverty exacerbate the issues?
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Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Trekking through India for three weeks to meet the clients of two of our most innovative partners—Upaya Social Ventures, providing steady jobs for the ultrapoor; and Freedom from Hunger, providing health protection via microfinance networks—we found more than thriving families. We discovered a country full of love. (
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Monday, February 13th, 2012
Putting his time and money where his mouth is, Hugh Skees has spent years working for what we all wish this holiday season: Peace on Earth. (
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Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
The Chronicle of Philanthropy takes a quick pulse among savvy givers on what's coming this year. (
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Monday, December 12th, 2011
The Wall Street Journal talks about our strategy for leveraging power far greater than our grant size through early-stage investment and entrepreneurial partnerships with innovative startups solving poverty worldwide. (
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Monday, December 5th, 2011
Believing that intention matters, we launched a small family foundation to invest a few hours and dollars in programs that end poverty through equal opportunity. Jasmine and Hugh, whose legacy of giving we aim to emulate, still work hard as volunteers. (
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Monday, November 28th, 2011
TravelTalk Radio discusses our family's deep drive for social justice and our work to effect equality in our own neighborhoods and around the world. (
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Sunday, November 20th, 2011
This holiday season, a Huffington Post story claims that when we seem to be giving charitable funds and volunteer time, we're actually the ones receiving. (
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Thursday, November 10th, 2011
This piece was published by Council on Foundations, and it explains why we work so hard to make every dollar count. (
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Monday, October 17th, 2011
Many of the tools I need for work can be found on the dance floor. (
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Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
Lessons on talking and not talking from the Stanford Nonprofit Management Institute (
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Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
An American kid growing up in the heart of Silicon Valley innovation and privilege gets a big graduation gift: a trip to Africa. What he finds there is a lifelong best friend, and a life mission to ensure that students everywhere get a chance to earn their diplomas, too. (
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Monday, September 19th, 2011
We're often asked why so many of our educational and microfinance programs invest more heavily in women than men . . . (
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Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Wealthy farmer and Tanzanian native Fuad Abri puts his time, ideas, and contacts to work to achieve equal-access-education in his country and around the world. We had to know: What causes him to care so much? (
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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
Schlepping through a developing country with few roads on a bus with no shocks makes us wonder what it's like to live your whole life this way. (
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Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Hailed as a human-made famine, the severe drought in Somalia combined with terrorist blockage of aid, has 12 million East Africans starving this summer. Malkhadir Muhumed writes for AP on parents making heartbreaking choices no family should ever have to face. (
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Thursday, July 14th, 2011
Our director, Suzanne Skees, traveled to a small village in northern Tanzania to study the impact of a holistic-care project launched by a pair of teachers with an ordinary background who've achieved extraordinary results working in partnership with students and families to build schools, healthcare, and enterprise. See today's Huffington Post . . . (
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Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Lucy John has plenty of reasons to be pleased with herself: at age 15 she has sailed halfway through high school and ranks 4/154 students in her class. She has graceful, willowy beauty, eloquence in 3 languages, and—very important to a teenager—a gaggle of good girlfriends. Read why our questions made Lucy burst into tears. (
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Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
Reporting from Tanzania with The School Fund, an all-volunteer team of university students and recent graduates who raise funds for high school students in developing countries, we meet a young man who turned his life around because somebody believed in him. (
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Friday, June 24th, 2011
Gaining an Education without Losing Your Family: We are traveling through the East African country of Tanzania with the all-volunteer staff of The School Fund, American university students who raise funds for high school students in developing countries, we bring you along to share the culture and students in our "Snapshots from the Field." (
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Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
Putting his finance skills to use for a food pantry serving families in crisis in central Kentucky, Ron logged enough hours as their volunteer treasurer to earn a foundation grant card. Read how Ron's giving just got doubled. (
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Huffington Post published this piece by Suzanne Skees on what it means to "go public" with our intentions here at Skees Family Foundation. (
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Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Mexican microfinance Compartamos's CEO Carlos Danel explains to a Stanford University audience how little his company actually has accomplished in serving the poor. (
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Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Our grantee, Summer Search, has created equal opportunity for college for over 1,000 students across the U.S. Read how Jessica, a bright but guarded California girl with struggles no one knew about, learned to open up to people and pursue her goals. (
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Family helping families: Our new "Family Grants" program gets East African girls to school on their own bicycles, sent by Village Bicycle Project and sponsored by our own DeoTalSkees family in California. (
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Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Watch a funny video featuring African villagers teaching each other about malaria transmission, and learn how you can help protect more families in a 1:1 matching grant campaign, running right now. Your dollars will double to help deliver training and bednets . . . (
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Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Twice-orphaned in a village destroyed by a tsunami, Chamari worked hard in high school and college—and will soon graduate with an accounting degree. (
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Sunday, April 10th, 2011
Dan Pallotta, bestselling author of "Uncharitable" and founder of the AIDSRide and 3-Day breast-cancer walk, tells 1,000 foundation representatives that nonprofits should "step boldly" into radically new ways to scale their impact. (
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Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
High school senior Steven works full-time to help pay his family's rent—but this soccer captain has gotten into summer programs and the college of his choice. (
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Thursday, March 24th, 2011
New York Times review of new book by economist Charles Kenny ("Getting Better") cites evidence for hope. Read more. . . (
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Thursday, March 24th, 2011
Read what's so different about this online crowd-funder for education that they became our newest partner, just weeks after incorporating. (
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Friday, March 11th, 2011
How Freedom from Hunger first motivated us to reach beyond our own small-town privileges to get into microfinance; why they were our first partner, and why we still support them today. (
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Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Now in our 7th year of operation, we're "going public" to share with you: (
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
A story by Suzanne Skees on literacy education in Mexico. (
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Why this growing group of visionary women and men inspired us to establish educational scholarships to really change the outcome for survivors of violence. (
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Monday, March 7th, 2011
This high school program combines summer adventures and year-round mentoring, to give low-income U.S. kids self-esteem and college access--and 95% of their students matriculate to a college of their choice. (
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
Foundation posts grant challenge for local museum. (
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Thursday, January 6th, 2011
The Wall Street Journal reports on how philanthropy varies in countries around the world. (
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Stories from a journalist’s notebook about poverty and injustice being overcome one person, one project, one village at a time. What we sow, even at the grassroots level, does reap impact in the world we are changing together. 
