The arts are essential to strong, vibrant communities. A dynamic cultural sector is a catalyst for growth, attracting and retaining businesses and visitors. They strengthen neighborhoods and communities by preserving the culture and memories of specific places and have a positive impact on health and well-being. The arts provide spaces to allow people from different backgrounds to engage with one another and opportunities to build community. They offer personal enjoyment to individuals, groups, and families, and give voice to the human condition.

The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation remains committed to a strong, diverse, and thriving arts sector in Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties in North Carolina. MDBF strikes a balance between supporting the region's established arts institutions and newer organizations that reflect the full breadth of our cultures and neighborhoods.

A key component of a thriving arts sector is that artists are compensated for or receive a tangible professional benefit for their work. Eligible organizations are those that may hire or engage established or emerging artists in a broad range of artistic disciplines, including visual arts, craft, traditional arts/folklife, film, photography, performing arts, literary arts, multimedia arts or interdisciplinary arts.

What We Fund

As detailed in Our Grantmaking Approach, MDBF's goal for its grantmaking is to support nonprofits to strengthen their effectiveness as organizations in ways that lead to long-term sustainability. We strongly encourage you to read Our Grantmaking Approach for essential information regarding how we making funding decisions and to prepare you for the information we ask for in the application.

• Arts organizations that demonstrate artistic excellence and elevate the profile of the Triangle's art scenes, both locally and nationally.
• New or developing organizations.
• 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.

Grant Opportunities

• Multiyear grants: Organizations that focus on the arts AND have received funding from MDBF in the previous 5 years are eligible to apply for a 3-year grant.
• One-year grants: Organizations that focus on the arts AND have not received funding from MDBF in the previous 5 years or have never received a grant from us before are eligible to apply for a 1-year grant.

Please see Our Grantmaking Approach for more information regarding multiyear and one-year grants.

General Eligibility Requirements

• Arts or organizations pay the artists they engage or provide visibility or sales for artists and/or develop artists' professional and business skills.
• Organization is located in and the majority of programming takes place in Chatham, Durham, Orange and/or Wake counties.
• 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or sponsored by a qualified fiscal agent.
• A current or expected expenses budget under $2,000,000 (fiscal sponsors are exempt from this stipulation).
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its governance, staffing, and participants.
• Capacity to achieve its goals: staff and experience (including volunteers), board governance, and financial resources.

Grant Restrictions

• Individual artists' projects are not eligible for support. Fiscal sponsorships of individual projects are not accepted.
• We do not make project-based grants.
• Organizations that do not pay artists or performers are not eligible.
• Organizations whose primary focus is engaging adults in learning or participatory activities, such as creative aging classes, are not eligible.
• Organizations whose primary mission and focus is on the humanities or history are not eligible.
• Organizations that have an interim or new executive director (hired within the past 6 months) are not eligible.
• University-affiliated organizations are not eligible.