Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Its work spans Arts & Culture, Nature, and Health & Well-being, so a small organisation should first check whether its project fits one of these themes and addresses a significant funding gap or critical opportunity.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants to organisations fall between $10,000 and $500,000, and half are $100,000 or less, so a modest request fits its usual pattern, though its largest grant was about $16,500,000 and that band is not a limit.
- Its latest filing shows 85% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so existing relationships appear to count for a great deal, and a first approach may work best through an unsolicited proposal or an open call where one is running.
- Grants are mainly developed around its own initiatives, and its programme information says applicants are assessed for mission fit, potential impact, execution capacity and ability to leverage other resources.
Overview
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
It works across Arts & Culture, Nature, and Health & Well-being to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future. In arts and culture, it champions performing artists and supports new ways of conceiving, producing and sharing their work. Its nature programme backs responsible stewardship of ecosystems and work to preserve, steward and restore nature. In health, it invests in research and new approaches in the health sciences; in child well-being, it backs projects and proposals to help children and families reach their full potential. Grants are developed around initiatives and are awarded through invitations, regranting competitions and request-for-proposal processes, while unsolicited proposals are also accepted. Applicant organisations are assessed for mission fit, potential impact, execution capacity and ability to leverage resources.
Themes
- Arts & Culture
- Nature
- Health & Well-being
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, California and the United States.
How to apply
The foundation researches gaps and needs, then typically develops a grant initiative. Grants are awarded through foundation-initiated invitations, regranting competitions administered by service organisations, or request-for-proposal processes. It also accepts unsolicited proposals and holds open calls from time to time; each programme approaches grantmaking in its own way.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 85% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 974 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The project should address a significant funding gap or a critical opportunity related to the foundation’s mission.
- The project should advance both the applicant organisation’s objectives and the foundation programme’s goals.
- The project should have potential for long-term impact through replication, reach, visibility or changes in the field.
- The applicant organisation should have the capacity to execute the project effectively.
- The foundation considers opportunities to leverage additional resources as a result of its funding.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 11%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 14%
- The largest single recipient received 12% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to organisations Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 18% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 289 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $100k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Duke Farms Foundation · Funding requirements$16,274,1022024 tax year
- Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art · Funding requirements$12,624,8342024 tax year
- Map Fund · To support the map fund awards for artists in contemporary dance, jazz and theater and to provide support for sustainability planning$2,630,0002024 tax year
- Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival · To support a new doris duke theatre$2,500,0002024 tax year
- Community Foundation of New Jersey · To support the 1st year of flexible resources for opt-in washington dc and kentucky$1,750,0002024 tax year
- Fund for Public Health in New York · To support the coalition to end racism in clinical algorithms (cerca)$1,746,0002024 tax year
- Harvard University · To provide demonstration sites technical assistance in business process redesign through dedicated on-site fellows as they implement a new approach to connecting families at risk of child welfare involvement to community-based services$1,740,0002024 tax year
- New England Foundation for the Arts · To renew support for the national dance project, a regranting program that supports the creation and touring of new dance works throughout the united states$1,738,7002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Eileen Oberlander — Director Of Finance & Treasurer
- Erica Dziedzic — Secretary / Counsel
- Samsher Gill — CEO / President
- Rochelle Walensky — Director (As Of 04/2024)
- Brooke Jones — Director
- JT Batson — Director
- David S Wilcove — Director
- John Talty — Director
- Catherine Marron — Director
- Mary Schmidt Campbell — Director
- Afsaneh Beschloss — Director
- Nannerl O Keohane — Director
- Marie Lynn Miranda — Director
- Vishakha N Desai — Director
- William Wright — Director / Chairperson
- Anthony S Fauci — Vice Chairperson
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $104,046,769 | $91,124,903 | $2,098,640,934 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $145,673,550 | $71,591,984 | $2,180,074,293 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $121,588,564 | $90,284,482 | $2,220,057,787 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (908) 243-3619
- New York, NY
- dorisduke.org
Applying to Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (908) 243-3619
- New York, NY
- dorisduke.org