James Buchanan Duke
The Duke Endowment seeks to fulfill the visionary genius and innovative legacy of James Buchanan Duke, one of the great industrialists and philanthropists of the 20th century. Mr. Duke established the Endowment in 1924 with $40 million. In 1925, it was expanded with an additional $67 million from his estate. Adjusted for present value, Mr. Duke’s total gifts would amount to more than $1.1 billion today.
The Endowment is one of the nation’s largest 501(c)(3) private foundations, with assets of $2.2 billion. It has awarded $2.6 billion in grants since its inception, including more than $1 billion to Duke University.
The Duke Endowment
The Duke Endowment is a private foundation established in 1924 to help the people of the Carolinas in four areas: childcare, education, healthcare, and rural churches. In 2006, The Duke Endowment awarded a three-year, $21 million grant to Health Sciences South Carolina. The grant was the largest award ever made by the 85-year-old private foundation’s health care division. It supports the establishment of the Center for Healthcare Quality and the Center for Patient Safety and Clinical Effectiveness, and other HSSC initiatives.
Commenting on the grant, Mary Piepenbring, vice president of The Duke Endowment said, “The investment validates our belief that the unique collaboration of research universities and health systems has the ability to achieve meaningful results for the people of South Carolina.”
Learn more about The Duke Endowment.
