Duke, neighbor 'partners' get grant
Duke Endowment provides $572K to Duke-Durham group's programs

From staff reports

Duke University received $527,500 from the Duke Endowment to support programs of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, President Richard Brodhead announced Friday.

The money will help underwrite several of the partnership's priorities, including affordable housing initiatives, leadership development for community and university groups engaged in community activities, and after-school tutoring and enrichment programs for at-risk youth.

The partnership, which began in 1996, connects the university with local organizations and residents in 12 neighborhoods close to Duke's campus to improve the quality of life and to boost student achievement in seven nearby Durham Public schools.

"We have been uniquely fortunate to have the backing of The Duke Endowment, which understands the importance of these collaborations to both local residents and to members of the university community," Brodhead said. "We are extremely grateful."

Rites of Passage, a mentoring program for 56 black teens at Northside Baptist Church in Walltown, is one program that will benefit from the grant.

Durham Mayor Bill Bell served as a consultant in 1996 as the partnership was being launched. He also expressed appreciation for the grant, which fosters community-based leadership, such as the Quality of Life Committee in Southwest Central Durham.

Community members on that committee spearheaded a 15-unit affordable housing development in the West End community on Pauli Murray Place, Carol Street and Jackson Street.

Over the past year, the partnership has undertaken a planning process that established four areas for institutional priority and investment. The endowment grant will support nearly a dozen programs in the four areas:

* Education enrichment and youth development: $145,000. In collaboration with Durham schools, the university is working to close the achievement gap between white, black and Latino students.

*Neighborhood stabilization: $258,500. With help from the endowment, three nonprofits -- Self-Help Community Development Corporation, Durham Habitat for Humanity and the Durham Community Land Trustees -- are working to increase the supply of affordable housing in neighborhoods in Southwest Central Durham and Walltown.

*Strengthening community organizations: $66,000. Local nonprofit partners receive staff support from Duke programs, such as the Duke Law Community Economic Development Clinic and Fuqua School of Business students working out of the Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship.

*University engagement: $58,000. More than 35 Duke departments and programs are engaged in community efforts that will benefit from the endowment's grant. Students, faculty and staff volunteer as coordinators of specific construction projects, nonprofit consultants and tutors and mentors for at-risk students.

"The university is playing a key role in improving the quality of life for all citizens in the Durham area," said Eugene Cochrane Jr., president of the endowment. "We applaud your innovation and commitment."

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