Mission

Building a more creative, equitable and sustainable future

The mission of the Doris Duke Foundation is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future. We work across three areas: Arts & Culture; Nature; and Health & Well-being.

Woman in a striped shirt looks upward in a crowd during an outdoor event, surrounded by people and a drum in the background.

We believe that the challenges of today won’t be solved by the solutions of the past. In the spirit of Doris Duke, we seek to identify, enable and support those who dare differently—pursuing bold solutions to some of society’s most intractable problems.

The following values show up in our work and how we approach it: Integrity; Excellence; Openness & Imagination; Collaboration; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Read our land acknowledgement.

Areas of Focus

Jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant sings into a microphone onstage, with a purple-lit background and a backup singer behind her.

Arts & Culture

We champion performing artists and the power of culture to bring people together and cross social divides.

Learn more:

Close-up of an orchid

Nature

We seek to preserve, steward and restore nature for all.

Learn more:

Healthcare worker in gloves administers a vaccine to a patient’s upper arm.

Health & Well-being

We support research to improve human health and advance efforts to help the most vulnerable children and families.

Learn more:

Founder

Learn more about Doris Duke.

Doris Duke standing in front of a plane
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Dare differently