General Open Call
@DDF allows applicants to choose which program best supports their needs.
The convening program is for organizations and leaders who are organizing a convening generally no larger than 25 participants, and up to 4 days. Successful applicants are provided with a subsidized rate, and dedicated experience design and curation support to enhance the impact of their convening.
The events program is for organizations and leaders who need to gather significantly larger groups (up to 90), or who have specific and highly particular execution needs, such as AV / Film Screening or other.
In completing your application – please indicate the program you feel best captures your needs.
Costs for convenings of up to 25 participants and up to 4 days typically range from $25,000 to $50,000, depending on specific needs. Larger-scale gatherings are priced based on production complexity and may be higher. Please read the FAQ for more details.
Application Process
All convening and event organizers must complete an application document, which captures the nature of thegathering, its alignment to the Doris Duke Foundation’s mission, and expected impact and timeliness of the work. We encourage you to share your proposed convening.
Once completed, all applicants will upload their application document to our submission portal, and enter other critical information such as contact details etc. We are only able to review applications which include both a complete submission portal entry, and a completed application document.
Convening applications will generally be for gatherings that are planned 4 or more months ahead. We may at times be able to accommodate a shorter turnaround, but this will be rare and is not guaranteed.
Review Process
Once received, applications will be reviewed by Doris Duke Foundation staff. Not all applications will be approved. We may contact you in order to learn more about your work, in order to inform our decision making process.
During the review process we consider a range of factors to inform our decisions such as:
- Strategic Alignment: Strong applications will drive impact in areas complimentary to the foundation’s mission, as well as our big ideas.
- Engaged Participants: Effective gatherings have a clear vision of the stakeholders necessary to achieve the objective of the convening. All participants should have a clear role in the convening, and be within reach of the organizing team’s network.
- Focus and Timeliness: Effective gatherings are focused and have a clear set of objectives which drive them. We also seek to support applications which are held at a definitive and timely moment which will drive the outcomes.
- Plan for Action: Effective gatherings will have a clear plan for how the outcomes will inform the broader ambitions of your work, with a clear sense of the resources, commitments, and milestones necessary to get there.
- Bandwidth and Capacity: Applicants must be able to support the effort to plan and execute the convening. The team must also be resourced in a way that allows them to support the related convening costs, as outlined in our FAQ.
If you are ready to apply, please make sure you have reviewed the program FAQ before you download the application document. Once complete, upload it to our submission portal.
Application decisions will be made on a rolling basis, depending upon the time frame during which you have applied to convene.
Applications are due on [DATE].
General application
If you are ready to apply, please visit our application page to make sure you have reviewed all of the relevant information, and to get started. Applications will be due on [DATE].
FAQs
@DDF is the Doris Duke Foundation’s initiative to support mission-aligned gatherings at our three venues—Duke Farms (NJ), Shangri La (HI), and the Doris Duke Center (NYC). We partner with organizations to host convenings and events that advance creativity, equity, and sustainability.
@DDF is the Doris Duke Foundation’s initiative to support mission-aligned gatherings at our three venues—Duke Farms (NJ), Shangri La (HI), and the Doris Duke Center (NYC). We partner with organizations to host convenings and events that advance creativity, equity, and sustainability.
