TD
LP profile
The Duke Endowment
Endowment · Charlotte, United States
28
VC firms backed
$4.5B
AUM
~$225M
Allocated to VC (est. 5%)
01 · Background
Who The Duke Endowment is.
- Historical Background
- The Duke Endowment was established in 1924 through a $40 million trust created by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke. From its inception, the foundation's work has been geographically focused on improving lives in North Carolina and South Carolina.
- Source of Capital
- The foundation's capital originates from the initial endowment provided by its founder, James B. Duke. This perpetual trust has grown through investment returns over the decades, with assets reported at approximately $2.5 billion in the early 2000s.
- Allocation Strategy
- The Endowment's grantmaking is concentrated in four specific program areas: higher education, health care, child and family well-being, and rural church life. Geographically, all grantmaking is restricted to organizations and projects within North Carolina and South Carolina. The investment portfolio is managed to support the foundation's philanthropic mission, with a stated goal of maintaining the inflation-adjusted value of the endowment to fund its programs in perpetuity.
02 · Fund commitments
The funds The Duke Endowment backs.
The Duke Endowment is a limited partner in 28 funds. 12 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.
Sequoia Capital
#2 Power Law
Redpoint
#42 Power Law
Benchmark
#47 Power Law
Matrix Partners
#58 Power Law
IVP
#84 Power Law
Threshold Ventures
#115 Power Law
Summit Partners
#168 Power Law
Sierra Ventures
#254 Power Law
North Bridge Venture Partners
#328 Power Law
Versant Ventures
#345 Power Law
Vivo Capital
#376 Power Law
August Capital
#462 Power Law
Europa Capital
03 · Allocation
How The Duke Endowment’s fund book is spread.
The 28 funds The Duke Endowment backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.
Where those managers are based
By fund headquarters.
- North America 2796%
- Europe 14%
United States 27 · United Kingdom 1
How established those managers are
Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 15 of 28 with a fund history on record.
Emerging funds · 4
Established funds · 11
3
1
2
1
3
1
4
3
5-6
3
7-9
3
10-14
1
15+
Funds raised by the manager
04 · Direct investments
The companies The Duke Endowment backs directly.
The Duke Endowment holds 1 company directly, separate from the funds it commits to as a limited partner.
NC Rural Center
05 · Other LPs
Other LPs.
Other endowments in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to The Duke Endowment by combined power-law score — North America first, then the nearest worldwide.
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University of Washington Endowment
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University of Notre Dame Endowment
$18B AUM
13 VC funds backed
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Silicon Valley Community Foundation Endowment Pool
$14B AUM
8 VC funds backed
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University of Pittsburgh Endowment
$5.5B AUM
31 VC funds backed
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Cornell University Endowment
$10B AUM
11 VC funds backed
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Claremont McKenna College Endowment
$1.2B AUM
3 VC funds backed