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Reference.org
The Duke Endowment
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<p>The Duke Endowment is a private <a href="/facts/Foundation_(charity)/IFdbebs8">foundation</a> established in 1924 by <a href="/facts/Industrialist/yqUeQzqW">industrialist</a> and <a href="/facts/Philanthropist/Xep5s0gd">philanthropist</a> <a href="/facts/James_B._Duke/bGGopvCq">James B. Duke</a>. It supports selected programs of higher education, health care, children's welfare, and spiritual life in <a href="/facts/North_Carolina/VhKNTULI">North Carolina</a> and <a href="/facts/South_Carolina/lQQX84IS">South Carolina</a>. </p><p>The foundation provided funding to build, expand and upgrade hospitals across the Carolinas in the early 20th century, focusing in particular on hospitals serving rural and Black residents. A 2024 study in the <i>American Economic Review</i> found that this funding significantly improved the medical sector, improved physician quality and fostered medical innovation, in addition to reducing infant mortality and long-run mortality. </p>