GIVE MERIT INC
A sustained bet that compounded beautifully
Skillman backed Give Merit five times between 2020 and 2024, committing $889,200 and at peak representing 54% of the organization's budget — a sustained conviction bet on a Detroit institution that began as the nonprofit arm of a cause-based fashion brand in 2011. Alongside that multi-year partnership, Give Merit's revenue grew 82%, and by May 2024 the organization broke ground on Merit Park, a $15 million youth and community center on Grand River Avenue featuring fashion, entrepreneurship, athletics, and arts programming. By December 2024, the capital campaign had raised nearly $11 million toward that goal, while the FATE program simultaneously expanded scholarships and introduced new academic offerings for high school students and alumni.
- 2011Give Merit Inc. was founded in Detroit, MI in 2011 as the nonprofit arm of cause-based fashion brand Merit, facilitating the FATE youth mentorship program.
- 2012Give Merit's FATE Program launched its four-year cohort-based mentorship and enrichment partnership with students from Detroit's Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, beginning in 2012.
- 2024Give Merit graduated another cohort from its high school program in 2024, with capstone projects highlighted as a centerpiece of the annual report.
- 2024-05Give Merit broke ground on Merit Park, a $15 million community and recreation facility on Grand River Avenue in Detroit, in May 2024.
- 2024-05-17Broke ground on Merit Park, a $15 million youth and community center featuring fashion, entrepreneurship, athletics, and arts programming on Grand River Avenue.
- 2024-12By December 2024, Give Merit's total capital raise toward Merit Park reached nearly $11 million, and the organization expanded scholarship offerings and introduced new academic programming for FATE high school students and alumni.