Doris Duke Foundation2026 Creator Cohort

The Challenge

Make a legacy philanthropy foundation relevant to a new generation

The Solution

Give the Internet’s creators a seat at the table

The Doris Duke Foundation works to build a more creative, equitable, and sustainable future across three areas: Arts & Culture, Nature, and Health & Well-Being. In the spirit of Doris Duke herself, the foundation backs people who dare differently and take bold swings at society’s hardest problems. To continue its mission the foundation needed to tap the next generation.

We found that younger audiences care deeply about big social issues but don’t trust the institutions themselves. They’d rather hear from the artists and creators they already follow. So we built the foundation’s first-ever Creator Cohort, an always-on program that embedded more than 20 creators across every area of its work.

When federal budget cuts hit in 2025, drag artist and nature advocate Pattie Gonia broke down the impact on conservation. Creators also brought the foundation to Climate Week, SXSW, and Sundance, and a new Creator Fellowship gave emerging creators a way in — providing resources from the foundation itself.

We turned philanthropy from something people hear about into something they talk about.