The Duke Endowment

06/19/2026

Each year, 30-50% of licensed kin caregivers and foster parents quit, directly impacting children’s outcomes and sense of belonging.

This loss can be detrimental to the more than 14,000 children in foster care across the Carolinas in need of support, stability and connection with peers and nurturing adults.

Join The Endowment in strengthening the foster care system and supporting caregivers and parents.

Read how: https://bit.ly/4fuDmxl

06/17/2026

Recent Davidson College graduate and Duke Scholar Thomas Lane reflects on how scholarship support gave him the freedom to follow his interests – from studying abroad in Zambia to preparing for medical school – and build lasting relationships along the way.

Thomas is one of many students at The Duke Endowment’s beneficiary institutions who have used scholarship support to pursue meaningful experiences inside and outside the classroom.

Watch Thomas’ story and see how Duke Scholars discover new perspectives and prepare for what comes next.

06/15/2026

ECU Health has received more than $4 million in grants from The Duke Endowment to expand access to care across eastern North Carolina.

The funding will support maternal health services, school-based telehealth, transitional care for high-risk patients and a new primary care teaching clinic in north Greenville.

Together, these initiatives aim to improve health outcomes, strengthen the healthcare workforce and reduce barriers to care in rural and underserved communities.

Read more about the investment and how it is increasing access to care across the region in a recent article by The Daily Reflector. https://bit.ly/4uWZ5Tv

06/12/2026

The Duke Endowment recognizes the importance of child advocacy centers, which use a no-cost, trauma-informed model to support children’s long-term well-being.

Without these centers, children and their families would have limited access to mental health care, forensic interviews and child medical examinations that are vital in detecting and prosecuting child abuse cases.

Learn more about the value of child advocacy centers like Children's Advocacy Centers of North Carolina in this video: https://bit.ly/4dNT3hN

Children's Advocacy Centers across the Carolinas provide trauma-foc...

06/10/2026

Underused church spaces can serve communities in new and meaningful ways.

A United Methodist Church property in Charlotte was transformed into affordable senior housing, connecting older adults with community, transportation and support services. The project, led by Wesley Community Development, shows how church properties are being reimagined to meet urgent community needs.

Read the story behind Mineral Springs Commons and how this model may inspire similar efforts in North Carolina.

https://bit.ly/4wVSppL

06/08/2026

At The Duke Endowment, our learning never stops. The knowledge and experiences of our grantees and partners constantly inform our work.

Our latest newsletter explores lessons learned from supporting collaborative cohort initiatives and how those insights are shaping future approaches. You’ll also find stories about strengthening families, reimagining church properties to meet community needs and the experiences of our Duke Scholars.

Read the latest newsletter. https://bit.ly/436wE9c

06/08/2026

A Duke Endowment grantee, Tamassee Hope Village (formerly Tamassee DAR School) helps make recovery and transformation possible. The school supports mothers and children as they heal, grow and build a new future in a caring community.

Through its Starlight program, families have a safe place to live while they work through recovery, parenting education, life and job skills, and educational support for their children. Guided by compassionate staff in a structured, faith-centered environment, families find healing and hope.

Founded in 1919, they have been serving families for more than a century. Our long-standing partnership is rooted in a shared commitment to strengthen families with parenting skills, confidence and healthy parent-child relationships.

Watch this video to see how this work is making a meaningful difference for families and communities.

Tamassee DAR School helps give parents the support they need to ove...

06/04/2026

Imagine a world where families of young children don't have to retell their story each time they visit a different service agency. That's a key innovation behind Routes to Ready in Guilford County, NC.

Through Routes to Ready, Children's Home Society of NC and community partners are using an Integrated Data System to help families connect with health care, parenting support, employment resources and more through coordinated care and community navigation.

With support from The Duke Endowment, this innovative work is helping families spend less time navigating systems and more time focusing on healthy starts for their children.

Read how Children’s Home Society of North Carolina is using Routes to Ready to forge stronger connections and tackle service gaps:

Routes to Ready, supported by the Duke Endowment, works to connect early childhood services and create a seamless ecosystem for supporting new parents and their children.

06/02/2026

Through scholarships at its beneficiary institutions, The Duke Endowment helps students pursue meaningful educational opportunities.

Marvin Brown shares how receiving a James B. Duke Scholarship to Johnson C. Smith University made college possible and lifted the financial uncertainty he faced as a first-generation student. It allowed him to focus on his studies, gain real-world experience through internships and expand his perspective through study abroad in Ghana.

Now, he’s preparing for what’s next, with plans to build a career dedicated to strengthening communities.

Watch Marvin’s story and see how scholarships open doors to opportunity and purpose.

06/01/2026

Parenting support isn’t a last resort. It’s a smart investment in stronger families.

Triple P - Positive Parenting Program offers accessible, evidence-based support for parents at every stage, not just in times of crisis.

With more than 40 years of research and global implementation, this approach has been expanding across North Carolina and South Carolina with support from The Duke Endowment since 2014.

Watch the video to learn how this work isn’t just one size fits all.