Mary Duke Biddle was intentionally broad in her directions to future trustees on how and where to distribute grants.Over our history, we have given to a range of causes, including but not limited to arts and culture, education, and health and human services.She had the foresight to suggest that the trustees from “time to time” reconsider the best ways to accomplish her goals, recognizing the need to look forward and adapt to changing issues. Her vision for current and purposeful giving drives the work of the foundation’s trustees and staff.
Over the past few years, the board and staff have scrutinized both internal operations and grantmaking practices to ensure that the foundation retain its strong philanthropic practices going forward. In fall 2017, the foundation refined the focus of its non-Duke University grantmaking to have greater impact. Grants will continue to support Biddle’s long-standing interests in arts organizations, artists, and K-12 education. Changes include the definition of specific goals and criteria within the arts and education programs and the decision to make grants only in the Triangle region of North Carolina.These decisions were made after careful consideration of how the foundation’s limited financial and staff resources could be best deployed. While the majority of funding has long gone to Triangle-area nonprofits, the foundation had supported programs in other regions of North Carolina and in New York City. An exception to this Triangle focus is the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, in recognition of the family’s and foundation’s long relationship with the school. More detail about grant interests, guidelines, and eligibility can be found here [hyperlink].
The Board of Trustees firmly believes that the foundation is well poised for the future, moving forward the mission developed by Mrs. Biddle, Dr. and Mrs. Semans, trustees, and staff, and carried out by those within the organizations we have been privileged to serve.
photo by John Rogers, courtesy of Duke Performances
| El Sistema USA, Durham, NC | $5,000 |
| Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Empower Dance Foundation, Durham, NC | $11,500 |
| Kidznotes, Durham, NC | $11,500 |
| Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Haw River, NC | $11,500 |
| Spanish Dance Arts Company, Bahama, NC | $6,500 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina, Siler City, NC | $11,500 |
| Chatham Education Foundation, Pittsboro, NC | $11,500 |
| Durham Colored Library/Techies4 Tomorrow, Durham, NC | $11,500 |
| Helps Education Fund, Raleigh, NC | $11,500 |
| Kidznotes, Durham, NC | $11,500 |
| Walking Classroom Institute, Chapel Hill, NC | $11,500 |
| BUMP: The Triangle, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Musical Empowerment, Carrboro, NC | $75,000 |
| North Carolina Arts in Action, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| The Scrap Exchange, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| TheGifted Arts, Garner, NC | $10,000 |
| Durham Nativity School, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Student U, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Village of Wisdom, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| WAKE UP and Read, Cary, NC | $10,000 |
| Arts Access, Raleigh, NC | $10,000 |
| Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, NC: Support to pilot and establish a new School of Doc afterschool program. This grant will be paid over 3 years and was made by invitation. | $75,000 |
| Community Health Coalition, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Kidznotes, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Music is Life, Raleigh, NC | $5,000 |
| Puppet Show, Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 |
| United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Raleigh, NC | 10,000 |
| Voices Together, Durham, NC | $5,000 |
Student Success and Learning
| The Center for Inquiry-Based Learning, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Communities in Schools of Durham, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Communities in Schools of Wake County, Raleigh, NC | $10,000 |
| Durham's Partnership for Children, Durham, NC | $5,000 |
| East Durham Children's Initiative, Durham, NC: Support to expand the STEAM Summer Camp. This grant will be paid over 3 years and was made by invitation. | $75,000 |
| Hispanic Liaison of Chatham County, Siler City, NC | $10,000 |
| Teachers2Teachers – International, Chapel Hill, NC | $10,000 |
| The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center, Durham, NC | $10,000 |
| Wake Education Partnership, Raleigh, NC | $10,000 |
| Artspace, Raleigh NC
Increasing Artspace’s impact through an organizational assessment that will allow us to meet our community’s needs more meaningfully with mission-aligned programs and measurable results |
$10,000 |
| The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Chapel Hill, NC
Building organizational capacity to support artistic expansion and underpin strong existing programs. This grant will be paid over three years and was made by invitation. |
$75,000 |
| The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Chapel Hill NC
Support for the 2018-19 concert season. The Biddle Foundation does not typically make grants for season support. This grant reflects the long history shared by The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and the Biddle Foundation. |
$10,000 |
| Chatham County Arts Council, Pittsboro, NC
The Sustainable Small Staff model will support growing impact by hiring focused staff experts, creating scalable positions, and respecting human resources |
$10,000 |
| Choral Society of Durham, Durham, NC
Choral Society of Durham and Raleigh Boychoir will collaborate to present John Rutter's "Mass of the Children" |
$10,000 |
| Durham Art Guild, Durham, NC
The Marketing and Catalyzing Project for the Guild's Art@Work Program elevates awareness and utilization of program services and benefits by local artists and local businesses This grant is made through an estate gift to MDBF from the Jenny Lillian Semans Koortbojian Trust. Jenny was a granddaughter of Mary Duke Biddle. |
$10,000 |
| Pleiades Arts, Durham, NC
Organizational Strengthening and Strategic Focus Development |
$5,100 |
| The Justice Theater Project, Raleigh, NC
Renewing the Vision: Building Capacity to Sustain The Justice Theater Project's Social Justice Mission This grant is made through an estate gift to MDBF from the Jenny Lillian Semans Koortbojian Trust. Jenny was a granddaughter of Mary Duke Biddle. |
$10,000 |
| Triangle ArtWorks, Raleigh, NC
ArtSwell - A cooperative regional professional development program for Triangle artists and arts organizations |
$10,000 |
| VAE, Raleigh, NC
QUEER HOME(land): a community-built project to highlight the creative contributions and diversity of the queer community while exploring domesticity from the queer perspective |
$10,000 |
| American Dance Festival, Durham NC
To commission and premiere a new, all-women trio by the acclaimed Pilobolus during the 2018 season |
$10,000 |
| American Dance Festival, Durham, NC
To commission and premiere work from a North Carolina artist during the 2019 season |
$10,000 |
| Black On Black Project, Raleigh, NC
The Jo Ann Williams Artist Fellowship offers studio space and resources to artists of color in North Carolina |
$5,000 |
| Durham Arts Council, Durham, NC
Support for the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists awards, professional development project grants to individual artists residing in Durham, Orange, Chatham, Person and Granville Counties through a competitive application process |
$10,000 |
| North Carolina Theatre, Raleigh, NC
Support for “Peace of Clay,” a new play co-written by Triangle-area playwrights Mike Wiley and Howard L. Craft. This work is part of the Reflections: Sharing our Stories collaboration between NC Theatre and Theatre Raleigh. |
$10,000 |
| ShaLeigh Dance Works, Durham, NC
Bamboo Wind will commission 20 artists in the fields of music, film, poetry, photography, sculpture, theatre, costume design, and dance for a multi-media performance installation |
$10,000 |
| Southern Documentary Fund, Durham, NC
Support for the final year of a five-year grant to fund documentaries made about North Carolina or by North Carolinians |
$20,000 |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
Support for the UNCSA Dean’s Discretionary Fund and Creative Excellence Fund. This grant reflects the long history shared by UNCSA and the Biddle Foundation. |
$60,000 |
| University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
Support for the UNCSA Artpreneur of the Year award, Creative Projects. This grant will be paid over three years and was made by invitation.
|
$75,000 |
photo courtesy of Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and Todd Tinkham Photography
The Biddle Foundation supports long-standing interests in arts organizations, artists, and K-12 education. We have separate and distinct funding cycles for the Arts Program and the K-12 Education Program.
Arts education programs fall within the K-12 Education Program's guidelines and deadlines.
Arts education programs fall within the K-12 Education Program's guidelines and deadlines.
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