Chair’s Message

This past year has been one of significant challenges, and The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation has admired how nonprofits have responded with creativity and innovation to the hard realities created and exposed by the pandemic. As COVID-19 took hold, the foundation realized we, too, needed to change to be a better partner with the diverse communities we support, through adapting to the circumstances and changing our grantmaking.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, we began looking for ways to help. I’m proud we could pivot and provide critically needed operating funds to help organizations survive. Increasing our impact has been my driving goal as chair—and this year gave us a huge opportunity to do that. You can find details on our COVID-19 response and new grantmaking processes in the pages of this report.

As I step down from four years as chair and six on the board, I am reflecting on how much we changed. We redefined our brand, clarifying both our role within the community and our direction. We created a new website that gives grantees and partners greater insight into our impact and goals. We welcomed new organizations to the fold, such as El Vínculo Hispano/The Hispanic Liaison, NorthStar Church of the Arts, and Women’s Theatre Festival. Most important, we transformed our grantmaking, zeroing in on the Triangle and launching multi-year grants—a radical shift in how we work.

We also expanded our impact by partnering with the Jenny Lillian Semans Koortbojian Trust on several important grants. Together we supported the innovative, three-year “Reimagining Arts Education” project at Duke University. While COVID-19 prevented performances and residencies from taking place as planned, the initiative has engaged local dancers, musicians, and filmmakers as well as K-12 learners. This collaborative,

MDBF Trustees and Administration: Left to right: Lois Deloatch, Ben Jones, Chris Harris (Chair), Mimi O’Brien (Executive Director), Todd Walker, Allison Haltom, Russell Bryan and Joe Lucas.

Yomi Adigun Elected New Trustee

Dr. Abayomi (Yomi) Adigun, originally from Houston, Texas, joined the Biddle Foundation Board of Trustees in January 2021. He earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell CHRIS HILDRETH, ROOSTER MEDIA University with honors and his PhD in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology from Duke University.

Dr. Adigun, a resident of Chapel Hill, is an Investment Manager with the Public Securities team at DUMAC (formerly Duke Management Company) since 2014. Before moving to North Carolina, he worked at Goldman Sachs in New York City as a High Yield and Investment Grade Credit Analyst with a focus on Healthcare, Insurance and Managed Care. Dr. Adigun also worked at Duke University Medical Center and University of North Carolina School of Medicine earlier in his career where he presented his research and published numerous papers.

Yomi is on the board of directors for the SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals. He just finished his board term at Caring House in June 2020. Caring House provides affordable housing for patients at Duke Cancer Institute. As a former college basketball player, he and his family are avid sports fans. community-centered model can grow and continue to improve the quality of life for everyone. Thank you to fellow board member and friend, Russell Bryan, for all of his efforts to honor my Aunt Jenny’s memory in such an impactful manner.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is a growing focal point for MDBF. As we ask nonprofit applicants about the populations they serve and the composition of their boards and staff, we are looking critically at our own organization. The foundation recognizes the imperative to infuse equity throughout our operations, including how we can better connect with nonprofits led by people of color, where we can use our non-grant spending to support inclusion, and when we have opportunities to add diversity to our board and staff. We welcome to the board Dr. Abayomi (Yomi) Adigun, a member of the DUMAC investment team. He will take on the pivotal role of treasurer after Todd Walker steps down at the end of 2021. We will continue working to advance equity and inclusion in all areas of our work and will strive to support organizations that share this goal.

The Foundation is able to have a positive impact because of our experienced, cooperative, caring board. We were a strong team already, but, surprisingly, with the shift to virtual meetings we grew closer this year. Our small but mighty staff likewise deserves tremendous thanks. Mimi O’Brien and Kathy Harrison provided invaluable insight and support throughout my tenure, but this year they had to operate under much different and challenging circumstances. I’m also incredibly grateful for Jon Zeljo, my cousin and the previous chair, who initiated much that I later put in motion and set us all up for continued success.

I welcome my cousin Ben Jones as the new chair. While we are both great-grandsons of Mary Duke Biddle, he, unlike me, brings valuable Duke experience to the table as a Duke graduate and veteran of other Dukeaffiliated boards. Ben has a keen mind, broad expertise, and objective decision-making. He will be an incredible asset as chair as MDBF continues to help our community deal with the multi-faceted effects of the pandemic. I will support him and the board as chair emeritus, ex officio, in 2021.

Philanthropy and nonprofit business have been my life’s work. It has been an honor to serve this Foundation and continue the vision that my great-grandmother had 65 years ago. This work has been incredibly rewarding, and I look forward to seeing the Foundation continue to thrive and support our local communities.