Corporate Giving & Grants

Overview:

The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation supports arts organizations, artists, and K-12 education in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Over its history, the Foundation has given to a range of causes and its priorities will continue to vary from time to time to adapt for ever changing issues.

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Deadline:

There are two grant cycles per year, one form the Student Success and Learning Program and one for the Arts Program.

 

Refer to the list below:

 

Student Success & Learning Program

• LOIs are accepted – Mid-September to early October

• Responses to LOIs are made – Mid-October

• Follow up calls – Mid-October to late October

• Full proposal deadline – Mid-December

• Grant decisions are made – Mid-March

 

Arts Program

• LOIs are accepted – Early to mid-April

• Responses to LOIs are made – Late April

• Follow up calls – Early May to mid-May

• Full proposal deadline – Mid-June

• Grant decisions are made – Mid-September

 

Funding Priorities:

Arts & Culture

• Capacity building efforts designed to create and sustain operational, programmatic, and financial stability.

• Audience development

• Leadership development

• Marketing and communications

• Resource development, such as fundraising, earned income or volunteer recruitment/retention

• Efforts to enhance the mission or program delivery of the organization

• Technology improvements

 

K-12 Education

• Academic proficiency in English/language arts, STEM/STEAM, history, government, and civics

• Grade level reading proficiency

• Digital literacy

• Project-based learning, experimental learning, and other hands-on learning activities

• College and career success

• Professional development opportunities to educators

 

Geographic Location:

A majority of funding goes to Triangle-area (Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake counties) nonprofits; however, the Foundation has supported programs in other regions of North Carolina.

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Grant Size:

The maximum grant amount is $10,000.

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Requirements:

The process begins with the submission of a Letter of Inquiry through the online system. After the staff reviews all LOIs they will conduct follow up calls with a limited number of applicants to discuss their projects and determine whether they are good matches with the interests of the Foundation. Proposals will then be accepted based on those conversations. Decisions will be emailed to LOI applicants.

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Organizations may have only one active grant at a time.

Ineligible requests are as follows:

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• Ongoing projects that have been operating for 5 years or more

• Capital requests and requests for equipment

• Grants to individuals

• Projects that start before the funding decisions will be determined

 

 

Last updated 7/10/2018