Modern Era

2000–2024

Requiring National Accreditation
2000

Requiring National Accreditation

The Endowment requires children’s homes and adoption agencies to be nationally accredited.

Relocating to Charlotte
2001

Relocating to Charlotte

The Rural Church program area relocates its base of operations from Durham to Charlotte.

Pursuing More Holistic Approaches
2006

Pursuing More Holistic Approaches

Free Days of Care – reimbursements to hospitals for providing free care to the poor – transitions to support for community-based networks for low-income and uninsured residents.

Serving Rural Communities and Clergy
2006

Serving Rural Communities and Clergy

Rural Church launches its Thriving Rural Communities Initiative, aimed at preparing clergy for service in rural churches and strengthening these churches for community leadership roles.

Investing in Children's Homes
2008

Investing in Children's Homes

Orphan and half-orphan programs are discontinued; resources shift to building the capacity of high-performing children’s homes.

Duke University Receives $80 million for Renovations
2011

Duke University Receives $80 million for Renovations

The gift — then the largest in Duke history — supports renovating West Union and Page and Baldwin Auditoriums.

Photo courtesy of Duke University Photography.

$3 Billion in Grants Distributed
2012

$3 Billion in Grants Distributed

The Duke Endowment surpasses the $3 billion mark in grants distributed since inception.

Expanding the Definition of “Rural”
2013

Expanding the Definition of “Rural”

The definition of “rural” expands to include Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, opening support for churches in areas where a small portion of the population might interact with a nearby metro area.

Improving Literacy During Summer Break
2013

Improving Literacy During Summer Break

The Rural Church Summer Literacy Initiative begins with a one-year grant to Monticello United Methodist Church in Iredell County.

Grounded in Community: New Headquarters
2014

Grounded in Community: New Headquarters

The Endowment’s first standalone headquarters opens in August in Charlotte with meeting space on the first floor and two levels of office space for staff. Neighbors, grantees and other partners help us celebrate this important milestone in Mr. Duke’s legacy.

Blue Meridian Partners
2015

Blue Meridian Partners

The Endowment’s Board agrees to join Blue Meridian Partners, a pioneering philanthropic model that finds and funds scalable solutions to problems that limit economic mobility and trap America’s young people and families in poverty.

Focus on Well-Being
2015

Focus on Well-Being

The Duke Endowment announces its Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas initiative aimed at taking a community-based approach to addressing chronic health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Welcoming Our New President
2016

Welcoming Our New President

Rhett Mabry, a longtime staff member of the Endowment, becomes President, succeeding Gene Cochrane.

Expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership
2016

Expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership

A major “Pay for Success” project is announced, with the goal of expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership program in South Carolina to serve 3,200 additional first-time mothers and their babies, through private investment funds.

The Furman Advantage
2016

The Furman Advantage

At Furman University, the Furman Advantage launches with $47 million from The Duke Endowment. It combines a liberal arts education with immersive experiences outside the classroom, creating a personalized pathway that prepares students for lives of purpose, successful careers, and community benefit.

A New Strategic Emphasis
2017

A New Strategic Emphasis

Approved by Trustees in 2017, The Duke Endowment announces a strategic emphasis on early childhood issues. This Zero to Eight emphasis reinforces the Endowment’s belief that a good beginning for children bodes well for their lives as adults and for their communities.

Philanthropic Approach
2017

Philanthropic Approach

The Endowment’s program areas begin to review their grantmaking strategies, seeking input from grantees and others, and making necessary revisions. The goal is to have greater clarity about our work and its impact.

Get Ready Guilford
2018

Get Ready Guilford

Through the Get Ready Guilford Initiative, The Duke Endowment is spearheading a multi-year strategy to improve and equalize opportunity in Guilford County, North Carolina, by making large, targeted investments in children and their caregivers.

Focusing on Oral Health
2018

Focusing on Oral Health

Oral health becomes an area of focus in Health Care, with efforts directed toward expanding school-based oral health programs, supporting medical-dental integration models and advocating for evidence-informed oral health policy changes.

$4 Billion in Grants Distributed
2019

$4 Billion in Grants Distributed

The Duke Endowment has awarded more than $4 billion in grants since its inception, including over $1.5 billion to Duke University. With assets of $4.7 billion at the end of 2020, it is one of the nation’s largest private foundations.

Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis
2020

Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacts health care access, provider models, methods of partnership and collaboration. Trustees approve up to $35 million in grants to respond to COVID’s effects, with an initial burst of COVID response grants followed by 21 months of grantmaking ranging from providing food and shelter to long-term recovery efforts addressing physical, mental and spiritual health.

Roots for Growth
2020

Roots for Growth

Amid social distancing and social unrest, the Endowment begins to take a deeper look at its grantmaking and organizational culture, reviewing its work through a racial equity, diversity and inclusion lens. Our leaders believe this is essential to achieving greatest impact in the Carolinas.

Kicking Off Our Centennial Anniversary
2023

Kicking Off Our Centennial Anniversary

The Endowment and Duke University kick off a year-long celebration of their shared centennial with an event at the Durham campus that brings the boards of both institutions together. The Endowment announces a $100 million centennial gift to the Duke, the largest single award in the University’s history.

Celebrating 100 Years
2024

Celebrating 100 Years

The Endowment celebrates its centennial with a year-long series of regional community celebrations across North Carolina and South Carolina. Trustees approve $25 million each in centennial grants to Davidson College, Furman University and Johnson C. Smith University.