The Duke Endowment enriches lives and strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina.

We support grantees as they nurture children, promote health, educate minds and uplift spirits

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Child & Family Well-Being

All children deserve to grow up safe from maltreatment, supported by nurturing families and caring adults. The Duke Endowment is dedicated to enabling children in the Carolinas to live successful lives.

Health care

Health Care

The Duke Endowment believes that maintaining good health over time is dependent on a person’s ability to lead a healthy lifestyle and access essential health care services.

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Higher Education

The Duke Endowment supports the four institutions named in Mr. Duke’s Indenture of Trust: Davidson College, Duke University, Furman University and Johnson C. Smith University.

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Rural Church

We are committed to preserving the pivotal role churches play in rural communities. The Duke Endowment supports clergy and congregations — ensuring they have the tools they need to walk faithfully together — as they strengthen rural areas.

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Additional Focus

Through other Endowment initiatives, and particularly our strategic emphasis on early childhood, we respond to today’s needs and intervene early to keep tomorrow’s problems from taking root.

Our Renewed Grantmaking Strategies

We have just completed an intensive effort to renew the strategic approaches behind our grantmaking in each of our four program areas. President Rhett Mabry shares reflections and insights coming out of the process as we prepare for the journey ahead.

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Our Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are systematically reviewing our grantmaking and organizational culture through the lens of racial equity, diversity and inclusion to better understand and fight the damaging effects of historic inequities and systemic bias across our work.

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Our Strategic Focus on Ages Zero to Eight 

We believe that a good beginning for children bodes well for their lives as adults and for their communities. The Endowment seeks strong starts for more children.

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Latest News & Stories

Get the latest from the Endowment and read more about the impact of the work being done by our grantees and individuals in the field

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Vanderbilt, UNC and Duke Nurse-Midwives Join Forces to Reduce Black Maternal Health Risks

Nurse-midwives and educators from three prominent research universities have teamed up to improve pregnancy outcomes in Black communities by providing specialized training for doulas, persons who support birthing mothers and families through the entire process of childbirth.

June 28, 2022

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A Leap Forward for the Arts at Duke with $7 Million Award from The Duke Endowment

The Duke Endowment has awarded Duke University $7 million to support the arts, including funds for a new exchange program with music institutions like the New England Conservatory (NEC) and the Curtis Institute and a deeper investment in the arts in the Durham community.

June 9, 2022 | Giving.Duke.EDU

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S.C. Children's Trust Launches Video Series Promoting the Positive Parenting Program

Children's Trust has launched the first interview in a new series highlighting practitioners in South Carolina who deliver the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P).

June 2, 2022 | S.C. Children's Trust

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N.C. Institute of Medicine Announces New Task Force on Healthy Aging

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine has launched a Task Force on Healthy Aging to focus on policies and practices to support aging in place in North Carolina communities with funding from The Duke Endowment, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and AARP North Carolina.

June 2, 2022 | N.C. Institute of Medicine

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As Rural Hospitals Struggle, A Hopeful New Model Emerges

UNC Hospitals, with support from the Endowment, has opened the doors of an innovative new labor and delivery unit in rural Siler City, N.C.

May 12, 2022 | Martha Carlough, Ellen Chetwynd, Katie Wouk

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Fresh Start Program Tackles Type II Diabetes

Fresh Start, a partnership between East Carolina University nutrition students and free community care providers, offers free healthy food items, cooking classes, nutritional advice, learning lessons and more to low-income and uninsured diabetes patients throughout northeastern North Carolina. Read more here.

May 9, 2022 | The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.)

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Apply for a grant

Select 501(c)(3) organizations in North Carolina and South Carolina may be eligible for grants through The Duke Endowment.

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Or Edit an Existing Application