Foundations that fund organizations in Durham, North Carolina
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Durham nonprofits
1,428 private foundations gave $429M to Durham organizations in their latest filings; 30 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
2,878 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Durham around $500K. 18 of these funders are based in North Carolina; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 1,428
- Accept applications
- 30
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Durham
- $429M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 2,878
- Typical median grant
- $500K
- Based in NC
- 18%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Durham organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Duke Endowment | Charlotte, NC | 72 | $88M | $1.0M | Yes | To provide unrestricted operating support.; To continue to strengthen dukes capacity and reputation in…; To support the priorities and strategic direction of the sa… |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 7 | $55M | $1.5M | Yes | Employee matching gift(s); Forum for congregational life proj; Thriving congregations initiative |
| Burroughs Wellcome Fund | Durham, NC | 1 | $40M | $40M | Yes | See grants paid attachment |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 22 | $26M | $1.1M | Yes | Empower women and girls; Agricultural development; Maternal, newborn, child nutrition and health |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nc Foundation | Durham, NC | 1 | $25M | $25M | Yes | Various |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 26 | $9.8M | $199K | Yes | Matching gifts; 79405 building the capacity of community-based organization…; 80869 general operating support for the center for black he… |
| Dogwood Health Trust | Asheville, NC | 8 | $8.8M | $125K | Yes | General operating support for advocacy efforts.; General operating support for food justice advocacy.; Development of safety net benefits screening tool to aid en… |
| The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program | New York, NY | 1 | $7.7M | $7.7M | Preselected only | Support for the robertson scholars leadership program at th… |
| Roy Lichtenstein Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $7.3M | $3.7M | Preselected only | Artwork contributed by the foundation to be added to the mu…; Cash contributed by the foundation to assist in funding gen… |
| The Karsh Family Foundation | Beverly Hills, CA | 2 | $5.1M | $2.6M | Preselected only | Education |
| Z Smith Reynolds Foundation Inc | Winstonsalem, NC | 48 | $4.4M | $70K | Preselected only | For general operating support; For general operating support of its north carolina work on…; For general operating support for the avila center |
| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 1 | $4.3M | $4.3M | Preselected only | For general operating support |
| Fidelity Foundation | Boston, MA | 87 | $4.2M | $1,000 | Yes | Fidelity matching gifts to education; Technology & equipment; Program expansion |
| Clark Charitable Foundation Inc Dba a James & Alice B Clark Foundation | Chevy Chase, MD | 1 | $3.8M | $3.8M | Preselected only | Clark scholars program |
| The Scott Family Foundation (de) Inc | Boca Raton, FL | 1 | $3.2M | $3.2M | Preselected only | Charitable donation to a 501(c)(3) entity. |
| Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation | Redmond, WA | 2 | $3.0M | $1.5M | Preselected only | To provide general support |
| The Leon Levine Foundation | Charlotte, NC | 26 | $2.7M | $75K | Yes | General Support; Capital Campaign; North Carolina Benefits Screener |
| Farmer Family Foundation | Cincinnati, OH | 1 | $2.5M | $2.5M | Yes | Exempt purpose of organization |
| Fm Kirby Foundation Inc | Morristown, NJ | 29 | $2.3M | $50K | Preselected only | In support of 501c3 purpose; For: support of the campaign for expansion; For: general operating support and support of the garden ga… |
| Donald a Pels Charitable Trust Utd 8/18/92 C/O Pkf O'Connor Davies | Harrison, NY | 1 | $2.1M | $2.1M | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Freedom Together Foundation | New York, NY | 4 | $2.1M | $525K | Preselected only | Examining the racial wealth gap and small business developm…; Politicized, collective, ecological, embodied practice for…; Emergency support grants for black-led movement and civic e… |
| Wellspring Philanthropic Fund Inc | New York, NY | 6 | $2.1M | $238K | Preselected only | General operating support; Advancing reproductive rights in east africa and latin amer…; Voting rights program |
| The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $1.9M | $1.9M | Preselected only | To support career and technical education |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $1.9M | $750K | Yes | To support operational coordination and continuity for its…; To support drapetomania; To continue support for operations and organizational capac… |
| The Irving Harris Foundation | Chicago, IL | 4 | $1.8M | $376K | Preselected only | General operating support |
| Robert and Lisa Margolis Family Foundation | Santa Monica, CA | 1 | $1.7M | $1.7M | Preselected only | Financial support |
| John Templeton Foundation | West Conshohocken, PA | 6 | $1.7M | $233K | Yes | Religious perspectives and academic inquiry in higher educa…; The evolution of comity: an interdisciplinary exploration o…; Humilities across cultures: do children in china and the u.… |
| The Simons Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 13 | $1.6M | $80K | Preselected only | Machine learning the hidden frontiers of biological function; Multi-regional analysis of neural dynamics underlying memor…; International research conference on foxp1 syndrome |
| The 2a Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M | Preselected only | Academic commons & residential hall renovations projects |
| The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 2 | $1.4M | $693K | Preselected only | Novel assays for proglucagon peptides to understand alpha c…; Using genome sequencing and genetic risk scores to identify… |
| Henry E Haller Jr Foundation | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 3 | $1.4M | $250K | Yes | Lord match scholership; Board of vistors scholarship; Professorship |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 8 | $1.3M | $180K | Preselected only | To develop and evaluate a new plea bargaining tracking tool…; To research policy options to facilitate a competitive land…; To support the duke center for firearms law in educating an… |
| The William R Kenan Jr Fund for Ethics | Chapel Hill, NC | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | Support operations of the kenan institute for ethics |
| Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Incorporated | Winstonsalem, NC | 7 | $1.3M | $150K | Yes | General operating; General operating/regranting; General operating/ organizational development |
| The Marcus Foundation Inc | Atlanta, GA | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | To support the exempt purpose of the recipient organization |
| The Michael and Karen Stone Family Foundation Inc | Wilmington, DE | 3 | $1.2M | $50K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted; Fuqua Annual Fund and Fuqua Scholarship Fund; Lemur Center Operations and Lemur Madagascar Programs |
| Wellcome Leap Inc | San Diego, CA | 1 | $1.2M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Global health research |
| Sloan Pa Ldc Charitable Trust | St Louis, MO | 2 | $1.2M | $596K | Preselected only | General operating |
| Szulik Family Foundation | Raleigh, NC | 2 | $1.1M | $575K | Preselected only | General |
| The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation | Palm Beach, FL | 2 | $1.1M | $545K | Preselected only | General support for programs |
| Jvz Foundation | New York, NY | 2 | $1.1M | $544K | Preselected only | To meet the tax exempt purposes of the organization |
| Edna and Fred Mandel Jr Foundation C/O Edwin Ruthman | Chicago, IL | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Research on hypertension and atheroscleriosis |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 9 | $1.1M | $60K | Yes | General support; Matching gift; Core support for the sdf production grant initiative for fi… |
| The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Missionpost Pmb #101 | Durham, NC | 23 | $1.0M | $25K | Yes | Operating grant; 2024 historical relationship; For annual support. this grant reflects the long history sh… |
| Anonymous Trust U/A Dated 2-4-2008 | Raleigh, NC | 8 | $1.0M | $112K | Yes | Grant for general operating support; Outright grant - aspiring eagles; Outright grant for law school - legal desert fellowship |
| The Revlis Foundation C/O Northern Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | General charitable |
| Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation C/O Eve Fugiel | Glenview, IL | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | General support |
| Chase Koch Foundation Inc | Wichita, KS | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Support the Gravity Fund |
| Capital One Foundation Inc | McLean, VA | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Asset building/financial capability |
| Fund for Nonviolence | Berkeley, CA | 5 | $997K | $115K | Preselected only | Program Support |
| The Kresge Foundation | Troy, MI | 3 | $945K | $165K | Yes | Project support grant for the expansion of the innovation f…; Project support grant to build on programmatic efforts in p…; Project support grant for the continued partnership with md… |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 17 | $929K | $4,200 | Yes | Matching Grant; Promise of an Equitable Future; Health and Health Equity |
| Charles Koch Foundation | Arlington, VA | 1 | $884K | $884K | Yes | General operating support |
| Novo Foundation | Hurley, NY | 2 | $870K | $435K | Preselected only | The community self-reliance project; General support |
| The Wallace Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $850K | $850K | Preselected only | To support Wallace's District Summer Learning Network. |
| Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Inc | Stamford, CT | 1 | $844K | $844K | Preselected only | Therapeutics |
| McDonald Agape Foundation | Birmingham, MI | 5 | $840K | $100K | Preselected only | Education: theology - doctoral program support; Education: theology - christian informing academic medicine; Education: theology/arts - dita operational support |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 6 | $820K | $100K | Preselected only | For general support; For durham for all chapter development and organizing in ot…; For refund raleigh |
| The Wilson Foundation | Dallas, TX | 1 | $800K | $800K | Preselected only | Education including scholarships |
| Wilemal Fund C/O Briar Hall LLC | Chicago, IL | 5 | $795K | $35K | Preselected only | For the general, scientific or education purpose |
| The Hymowitz Family Foundation Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $791K | $791K | Preselected only | General contribution |
| The Rockefeller Foundation | New York, NY | 5 | $750K | $125K | Preselected only | General support; In support of filling a critical measurement gap for tracki…; Developing tools and resources to track the environmental i… |
| Yontz Valor Foundation | Excelsior, MN | 1 | $750K | $750K | Yes | Used towards searching for a cure for those affected by cho… |
| Soma Foundation Inc | Columbus, GA | 1 | $750K | $750K | Preselected only | Financial support |
| The Mario Family Foundation | Chatham, NJ | 6 | $703K | $99K | Preselected only | Basketball legacy fund; Family chronic care improvement fd & medical center; Pediatrics improve & expand care now |
| Tw Duke Un Med Sch and Hosp Fmh | St Louis, MO | 1 | $690K | $690K | Preselected only | General operating |
| Arcus Foundation | New York, NY | 11 | $689K | $100K | Yes | General operating support; Support for the transforming hearts collective.; Support for strengthening organizational capacity and susta… |
| Bhp Foundation | Washington, DC | 1 | $670K | $670K | Preselected only | Internet of water (iow) |
| Ting Tsung & Wei Fong Chao Foundation | Houston, TX | 3 | $625K | $100K | Preselected only | Program/project support; General operating support |
| Barnes Family Foundation | Durham, NC | 5 | $609K | $100K | Preselected only | General purpose support |
| Ricky Sandler Family Foundation C/O Eminence Partners | New York, NY | 2 | $600K | $300K | Preselected only | General support |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 3 | $599K | $100K | Yes | For support of the cook center on social equity; For organizational planning and assessment; For general operating support |
| Charles a Cannon Charitable Trust No 3 | Concord, NC | 1 | $593K | $593K | Preselected only | Required 40% distribution |
| The Annenberg Foundation | Conshohocken, PA | 6 | $575K | $75K | Preselected only | Director of the canine cognition center discretionary fund; Innovation and entrepreneurship fuqua school of business; Trinity college of arts and sciences program ii |
| The Yeargan Foundation Charitable Trust | Garner, NC | 2 | $563K | $281K | Preselected only | Hubert-Yeargan Center Gift Fund; Provide Excellent Education for Young Men |
| Foundation for a Just Society | New York, NY | 4 | $560K | $125K | Preselected only | To provide general operating support; To support the queer mobilizing fund; To support the charitable activities of the nc collaborativ… |
| Schwartz Family Foundation C/O Alan Schwartz Guggenheim Partners | New York, NY | 1 | $551K | $551K | Preselected only | To support the general purpose fund |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 9 | $525K | $40K | Preselected only | Support to Scale Real Estate Incubator; "Money Matters" Financial Literacy; CLT plus One |
| Democracy Fund Inc | Washington, DC | 3 | $515K | $165K | Preselected only | General support |
| Annie E Casey Foundation Inc | Baltimore, MD | 9 | $508K | $70K | Preselected only | Support to Protect Young Adults from High-Cost Loans in the…; Support Race Matters training, technical assistance and coa…; Support the Georgia Funders Network for Racial Equity (GFNR… |
| The Catherine Jefferson Foundation Inc | Durham, NC | 3 | $501K | $150K | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| Allie's Friends Foundation | Big Sky, MT | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Support |
| Treehouse Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General support |
| Miramar Charitable Foundation | Fort Mitchell, KY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Operating support |
| 128 Collective Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 3 | $500K | $200K | Preselected only | Southern workers assembly; Movement labs |
| Beckman Family Foundation | Scarsdale, NY | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | General operating purposes |
| The Luce-Fahey Family Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | Fahey scholarship fund, experiential orientation, and trini… |
| Eos Foundation | Harwich Port, MA | 1 | $500K | $500K | Yes | Civic Engagement |
| The Prudential Foundation | Newark, NJ | 1 | $500K | $500K | Preselected only | To support self-help credit union to enhance its efforts to… |
| Fox Family Foundation Inc | Durham, NC | 25 | $485K | $20K | Yes | General operating support; Restricted capacity & infrastructure support; Restricted support in two parts for American Dance Festival… |
| Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 5 | $475K | $69K | Yes | Genomic and spatial expression analysis of oligodendrogliom…; To support the graduate fellowship program at the nicholas…; Role of the splanchnic vascular compartment in heart failur… |
| The G Harold & Leila y Mathers Charitable Foundation | Rye Brook, NY | 2 | $461K | $230K | Yes | Research project |
| C Steven Duncker Foundation C/O Eisner Advisory Group LLC | Melville, NY | 3 | $450K | $45K | Preselected only | See statement #8 |
| North Carolina Gsk Foundation Inc | Durham, NC | 3 | $449K | $74K | Yes | Charitable |
| Schiffer Family Foundation | Studio City, CA | 2 | $438K | $219K | Preselected only | Educational Purposes; Support for rescuing endangered and threatened animals from… |
| Laughing Gull Foundation | Durham, NC | 11 | $438K | $50K | Preselected only | General operating support; Lgbtq program support; Rapid response funds |
| George Family Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 3 | $423K | $100K | Preselected only | The penny pilgram george women's leadership initiative (ppg…; Duke true north leadership program; Supplemental grants for true north leadership program at 14… |
| Hopper-Dean Foundation C/O Catalyst Family Office LLC | Menlo Park, CA | 2 | $418K | $209K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $400K | $400K | Yes | Scsj voting rights program |
| Mead Family Foundation C/O Intentional Philanthropy LLC | Bethesda, MD | 6 | $395K | $50K | Yes | General operating support; Caring house general operating support; Regional capacity building and healthy food support |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Durham, North Carolina?
The Duke Endowment, Lilly Endowment Inc, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Gates Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nc Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Durham organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Durham. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.