2026 One-Year Grant Guidelines

The Opportunity

One-year operating support grants are available to organization's that have not received a Mary Duke Biddle Foundation (MDBF) grant in the past five years (2021 - 2025) or that are new to the foundation. Each year, MDBF will typically award 5 one-year grants to nonprofit organizations that further our grantmaking goals. The grant amount is $10,000 a year for each organization.

One-Year Grantmaking Timeline

August 6, 2026 - Information webinar for organizations interested in learning more about MDBF's one-year grants.  A recording of the webinar will be shared on the grantmaking guidelines page. Click here to register for the webinar.

August 7, 2026 - Begin accepting open-submission letters of inquiry (LOI) from organizations that meet all of our eligibility criteria (see above) via an online form in our grant portal. Information included in the LOI can be found here.

August 10 - 28, 2026 - Pre-application advisory meetings with staff are available. The meetings will take place on Zoom. A link to schedule a pre-application call will be made available after the webinar on August 6.

September 5, 2026 - LOI submission deadline.

October 5 - 9, 2026 - Follow-up conversations with organizations selected for advancement in the review process. All applicants will be notified about the status of their application.

December 2026 - All approved grants will be awarded.

Our Grantmaking Goals

In 2024, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation implemented a new grant approach intended to help nonprofits working in the Arts, Arts Education, and Student Academic Success build their organizational capacity and effectiveness in ways that lead to long-term sustainability.

Because our interest is in sustainability, we want to understand nonprofit organizations' operating goals and strategies aimed at building and strengthening capacity. Our funding decisions center on an organization's internal operating goals, strategies, and implementation plans. Of particular interest in our review process are the relevance of the operating goals on organizational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.

To support organizations' ability to build and strengthen capacity, we make operating support grants that provide flexible funding.

Guidelines & Eligibility

While our focus is on supporting long-term organizational sustainability, we do take programming strength into consideration to ensure alignment with our three focus areas: the Arts, Arts Education, and Student Academic Success.

The Arts

• Support arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence and elevate the profile of the Triangle's art scenes, both locally and nationally.
• Support arts-focused organizations that work directly with artists to deepen and expand talent, create new works, promote visibility and sales for artists, and/or develop artists' professional and business skills.

Arts Education

• Support organizations whose primary purpose is to provide opportunities for PreK-12 students to engage directly in high-quality arts instruction in which students actively participate in making art.

Student Academic Success

• Early Learning Programs: We support PreK organization organizations whose primary purpose is kindergarten readiness. Evidence-based programs are a plus.
• Academic Achievement: We support organizations whose primary purpose is to support K-12 students' academic achievement. These include organizations that build academic skills through structured academic learning opportunities and/or structured tutoring and professional training for teachers and tutors that align with the standard NC curriculum. Evidence-based programs are a plus.

Across both Arts Education and Student Academic Success interest areas, MDBF seeks to address and challenge inequities that limit student success, learning, and arts experiences.

Please review Our Grantmaking Approach and the Arts, Arts Education, and Student Academic Success focus areas for additional eligibility requirements and criteria.

General Eligibility Requirements

• 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be sponsored by a qualified fiscal agent.
• Organization's primary mission and programming focus on the Arts, Arts Education, or Student Academic Success.
• Organization has not received a MDBF grant within the past five years or is new to the foundation.
• Organization is located in and the majority of programming takes place in Chatham, Durham, Orange, or Wake counties.
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its governance, staffing, and participants (students or artists).
• A current or expected expenses budget under $2,000,000 (fiscal sponsors are exempt from this stipulation).
• Please review the Arts, Arts Education, and Student Academic Success focus areas for additional eligibility requirements and restrictions.

Grant Restrictions

• Organizations that have an interim or new executive director (hired within the past 6 months) are not eligible to apply.
• We do not make project-based grants.
• Organizations whose primary mission and focus is on the humanities or history are not eligible to apply.
• University-affiliated organizations are not eligible to apply.
• Public schools and charter schools are not eligible to apply.
• Public school foundations are eligible to apply.
• Current MDBF multiyear and one-year grantees are not eligible to apply.

Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed on the following criteria for advancement in the review process:

• Strategic goal
  - Relevance of one key strategic goal and/or priority to the organization's life stage and continued development.
  - Strategies to address the strategic goal are well-defined and feasible.
• Role in the Arts, Arts Education, or Student Academic Success ecosystem
  - Organization provides a distinct approach and role in the Arts, Arts Education, or Student Academic Success ecosystem in its county or the Triangle region.
• Strength of Programming
  - The organization's strength of programming and alignment with MDBF's focus areas in the Arts, Arts Education, or Student Academic Success.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its governance, staff, and participants.

For information regarding an organization's life cycle stage, please review Our Grantmaking Approach.