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Doris Duke Foundation For Islamic Art

Annual Giving
$4.0M
Grant Range
$25K - $1.2M
Decision Time
2mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,034,967 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 2 months for Letter of Inquiry response
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,200,000
  • Geographic Focus: National (U.S. focused)

Contact Details

Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art 650 Fifth Avenue, 19th Floor New York, NY 10019

Overview

The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) is an operating foundation of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, established to honor philanthropist Doris Duke's devotion to global Muslim cultures. The foundation operates two key initiatives: the Building Bridges Program, its national grant-making arm launched in 2007 to counter hate directed at U.S. Muslim communities in the aftermath of 9/11, and Shangri La, the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to Islamic art, located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since its inception, the Building Bridges Program has allocated over $48 million in grants aimed at fostering dialogue and understanding between communities with a focus on the voices and perspectives of U.S. Muslims. The program is unique—it remains the only program of its kind among private U.S. foundations. In 2023, DDFIA awarded $4,034,967 through 18 grants, with a median grant of $100,000.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Building Bridges Program currently operates through strategic partnerships rather than open grant competitions:

  • CAAM U.S. Muslim Documentary Fund: $4.5 million over three years to support up to 10 documentary projects annually through an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) process
  • Building Bridges Fellowship (via Sundance Institute and Islamic Scholarship Fund): $10,000 unrestricted artist grants plus mentorship, professional development resources, and network support
  • Building Bridges Completion Fund (via Sundance Institute): Up to $25,000 for post-production, marketing, public relations, or attendance costs for films premiering at Sundance Film Festival
  • The Muslim House™ (via MPAC Hollywood Bureau): Collaboration bringing diverse filmmakers, writers, and actors together at major film festivals

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses exclusively on elevating U.S. Muslim storytelling through media and entertainment to:

  • Counter Negative Stereotyping: Support authentic narratives that challenge existing perceptions of Muslims in media
  • Documentary Filmmaking: Invest in non-fiction storytelling that bears witness to the U.S. Muslim experience
  • Film and Television: Support Muslim creatives across the entertainment industry
  • Media Infrastructure: Build sustainable platforms for Muslim storytellers
  • Network Building: Create community and professional connections for Muslim filmmakers and artists
  • Arts-Based Dialogue: Support projects that engage U.S.-based Muslims and their neighbors in shared experiences

According to program director Zeyba Rahman, the foundation believes that "instead of someone else telling our story, we must tell our own stories" and that "documentaries occupy a central place for us... to counter negative stereotyping."

What They Don't Fund

  • Individual Artists: The program does not directly fund individual artists (though individuals can apply through partnership programs like the Building Bridges Fellowship)
  • Singular Artistic Projects: Typically does not fund the development of singular artistic projects, including exhibitions and publications
  • Non-U.S. Organizations: Only U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible
  • Non-Media Projects: Current three-year strategy focuses exclusively on media and entertainment

Governance and Leadership

Sam Gill - President and CEO, Doris Duke Foundation

  • Quote: "Great stories change hearts and minds — but only those hearts and minds they can reach. The Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund will elevate the fresh voices and stories we so desperately need in our fractured society."
  • Quote: "We can't change what we think until Hollywood changes who and what we see."

Zeyba Rahman - Director, Building Bridges Program

  • Joined DDFIA as senior program officer in 2013, promoted to program director in March 2022
  • Over a decade of leadership in the program
  • Quote: "When we learn about characters' nuances... it helps us to dislodge or reexamine popularly held views about others."
  • Quote: "Documentary films are among the most authentic methods of storytelling, offering unfiltered and honest perspectives that help to understand issues and open hearts and minds to shift narratives."
  • Quote: "We want to focus on where our storytellers can meet these audiences."

Ben Weitz - Executive Director, Shangri La Museum

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Current Status: The majority of the foundation's grants are awarded through competitive request-for-proposal (RFP) processes, by invitation, or through strategic partnerships. There are currently no open competitions at this time.

Application Methods:

  1. Letter of Inquiry (LOI): Unsolicited proposals are accepted, though very few grants result from them

    • Submit electronically at https://dorisduke.givingdata.com/portal
    • Only U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status can apply
    • No supplemental materials accepted at LOI stage
    • Required information: Nonprofit Tax ID, project title and description, funding amount requested, how project relates to foundation objectives, organization mission and strategies, primary contact information

  2. Partnership Programs: Apply through specific partner organizations:

    • CAAM U.S. Muslim Documentary Fund (annual RFP for Muslim documentary filmmakers)
    • Building Bridges Fellowship (via Islamic Scholarship Fund and Sundance Institute)
    • Building Bridges Completion Fund (via Sundance Institute)

  3. Invitation-Based Grants: Foundation staff identify organizations that advance program goals for staff-curated grants

Decision Timeline

  • Letter of Inquiry Response: Within 2 months of submission
  • Grant Cycles: Initiative evaluations occur every 3-5 years; external program reviews every 5 years
  • Notification: Staff will notify applicants if additional information is desired

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly available. The foundation notes that "very few grants result from unsolicited letters of inquiry." In 2023, the foundation made 18 grants (down from 35 in 2022 and 60 in 2021), indicating a strategic shift toward larger, multi-year partnership grants rather than numerous smaller awards.

Reapplication Policy

No formal reapplication policy is published. Organizations should focus on building relationships with foundation staff and monitoring for announced RFP opportunities.

Important Restriction: Organizations may submit (and be associated with) only one application in each grant-making round. An organization that agrees to partner on another organization's LOI may not also submit an LOI for its own project.

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Looks For

Based on the foundation's publicly stated criteria and leadership guidance, successful applications demonstrate:

  1. Authentic U.S. Muslim Storytelling: Projects must authentically represent the U.S. Muslim experience from the perspective of Muslim storytellers themselves. As Rahman emphasizes, "instead of someone else telling our story, we must tell our own stories."

  2. Alignment with Program Goals: Projects should address significant funding gaps and align with the foundation's mission to increase mutual understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Applications must demonstrate how they achieve both organizational objectives and foundation program goals.

  3. Strong Organizational Capacity: The foundation evaluates whether organizations have the capacity to execute proposed projects and potential to leverage additional resources.

  4. Unique Perspectives: Projects should lift up unique perspectives and challenge existing narratives about Muslims. Rahman notes successful projects come from a place of "bearing witness" and are "grounded in reality."

  5. Long-Term Impact: The foundation seeks projects designed to achieve lasting change and sustainable impact.

  6. Media/Entertainment Focus: Current strategy (next three years) focuses exclusively on media and entertainment platforms.

  7. Clear Partnerships: If partnerships are involved, applications must clearly describe and clarify all collaborative relationships.

Recent Successful Projects

The foundation has supported notable projects including:

  • Strangers at the Gate (2023 Oscar-nominated documentary)
  • Omar (Pulitzer Prize-winning folk opera)
  • Secret Life of Muslims (Peabody-nominated web series with 45 million views)
  • 1979 Revolution (interactive game by Navid Khonsari)
  • Three Chaplains (documentary about Muslim chaplains in U.S. Armed Forces)
  • Little Amal (nationwide tour featuring 11-foot puppet representing Syrian refugee girl)
  • Alien Nation (hybrid documentary by Khaula Haider Malik)
  • Exorsisters (documentary by Kausar Mohammed about Pakistani-American sisters)

Application Tips

  • Review Program Strategies: Before submitting an LOI, thoroughly review the Building Bridges Program grantmaking process to determine potential fit
  • Focus on Documentary: The foundation particularly values documentary filmmaking as an authentic method of storytelling
  • Demonstrate Audience Reach: Show how your project will reach broad audiences, as Rahman emphasizes meeting audiences where they are
  • Emphasize Professional Development: Projects that include skills training, networking, and career advancement for Muslim creatives align well with program priorities
  • Incomplete Applications Not Reviewed: Ensure all required information is complete before submission

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Strategic Partnerships Over Open Calls: The foundation has shifted from open competitions to strategic, multi-year partnerships. Monitor partner organizations (CAAM, Sundance, Islamic Scholarship Fund, MPAC) for specific opportunities rather than relying on direct LOI submissions.

  • Media and Entertainment Focus: For the current three-year cycle, the foundation exclusively supports media and entertainment projects—other arts disciplines are not currently prioritized.

  • Muslim Storytellers Only: The foundation specifically seeks to elevate U.S. Muslim voices telling their own stories, not non-Muslim perspectives on Muslim communities.

  • Build Relationships First: With very few grants resulting from unsolicited LOIs, success likely depends on prior relationships with foundation staff or demonstrated track record in the field.

  • Think Infrastructure, Not Individual Projects: The foundation invests in platforms, funds, and programs that support multiple storytellers rather than one-off individual projects. Consider how your organization can serve as infrastructure for Muslim creatives.

  • Documentary Preferred: While other media forms are supported, documentary filmmaking holds a central place in the program's strategy.

  • Long-Term Vision Required: The foundation makes multi-year, multi-million dollar commitments to strategic partners. Applications should demonstrate sustainable impact beyond a single project.

References

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