COMMITTED TO
THE CAROLINAS

The Duke Endowment seeks to enrich lives and communities across North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting grantees as they nurture children, promote health, educate minds and uplift spirits.

Our work focuses primarily on four program areas and builds off of strong connections with our grantees and community partners.

Child family well being

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 all people can achieve their best health when communities are designed to support healthy lifestyles and when our health care system is able to engage patients and provide holistic care that meets the unique needs of each individual.

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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.

2025 Annual Report: A Shared Pursuit

For more than a century, The Duke Endowment has worked alongside grantee partners to improve lives and communities across the Carolinas. That work has always been rooted in the belief that we can achieve excellence and meaningful change by working together. Our 2025 annual report explores what our quest for excellence looks like today. 

Read Our 2025 Annual Report

Read Our Newsletter

As we look ahead to our next century, we have refreshed our newsletter to better showcase the good work of our grantees and to share what we’re learning, what’s inspiring us and the promising programs and initiatives we support.

Read Our Newsletter

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

Story Strength Families 2026

Helping Proven Programs Reach More Families

The Duke Endowment helps proven programs reach more families across the Carolinas.

August 27, 2026 | Tamika Williams, Director, Child & Family Well-Being

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Bolch Judicial Institute Receives $5 million Award from The Duke Endowment

The Duke Endowment awards $5 million to strengthen judicial education and research at Duke Law.

August 17, 2026 | Duke Law

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How Five Rural Churches Banded Together to Build Community

We believe rural churches can have a pivotal impact on the life of their communities. In Wilson, N.C., five churches are pulling together and showing the way.

August 14, 2026 | EducationNC

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Video Series: Duke Scholars - Kyle MacLellan

Duke University’s Kyle MacLellan shares how the Duke Scholarship gave her the confidence, freedom, and resources to explore opportunities that transformed her Duke experience.

August 4, 2026

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Video Series: Duke Scholars - Clay Wallace

Furman University's Clay Wallace looks back on how receiving the James B. Duke Scholarship helped enrich his academic and extracurricular experiences in college.

July 21, 2026

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Building a Legacy of Impact: Our Insights into Evidence

The Duke Endowment uses research, evaluation and data-driven learning to invest in effective solutions, build new evidence and strengthen outcomes for communities across the Carolinas.

July 15, 2026 | Charles C. Lucas III, Rhett N. Mabry

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