Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

 Future Funding Priorities

Update from Andrew Bowman,
Program Director for the Environment
March 19, 2010

As we begin a new decade at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, we have updated the five-year grant-making priorities of the foundation’s Environment Program. These priorities will enable the Environment Program to strategically address the continuing and worsening problems of biodiversity loss and climate change, as well as increase the program’s relevance and impact.

Read More...

Mission

The mission of the Environment Program is to enable communities to protect and manage wildlife habitat and create efficient built environments.

Strategies

• Accelerate wildlife habitat conservation in an era of climate change - Protect important wildlife habitat and help wildlife adapt to the impacts of climate change.


• Reduce impacts on the landscape from increased energy development and energy demand - Expedite the sensitive siting of energy infrastructure and reduce energy demand by increasing energy efficiency in the buildings sector.


• Encourage land stewardship and sustainability in the Tri-State area - Support local efforts to manage wildlife habitat and create efficient, healthy, and vibrant built and natural environments.


• Help build a clean-energy economy – Support the research and analysis needed to develop government policies to foster technological innovation in the energy sector and accelerate the emergence of tomorrow’s clean-energy technologies.  Grants in this category are made through the Environment Program’s Climate Change Initiative, which will wind down by 2011.

For information on the availability of grants for specific projects, review the Environment Program’s Grantmaking Process & Funding Opportunities page.

Grants Awarded & Conservation Achievements

As of December 31, 2009, the Environment Program has approved approximately 129 grants totaling more than $190 million.

Launched in April 2007, the Environment Program's Climate Change Initiative has approved 29 grants totaling approximately $38 million as of December 31, 2009.

For information on the goals and accomplishments of individual projects, please see the Environment Program’s Grants Awarded and News & Publications pages.

Doris Duke and the Environment

Doris Duke was a lifelong environmentalist with a keen interest in conservation. In her will, she expressed her interest in "the preservation of wildlife, both flora and fauna" and in supporting "ecological endeavors."