Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) is a private operating foundation based in New York, NY, established in December 2003. The foundation is classified as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and operates as an art museum organization under the Arts, Culture & Humanities category. The foundation's primary exempt purpose is to support and preserve Islamic Art, which it fulfills in part through the operation of the Shangri La Museum in Hawaii.
Key facts about Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art
- EIN
- 05-0523809
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,303,636
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- Average grant
- $195,620
- Median grant
- $100,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (9 of 20, 2024)
- Total assets
- $40,615,674
- Primary geography
- California (41% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The foundation indicates it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated June 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's 22 itemized 2024 grants were California (41%), District of Columbia (19%) and Hawaii (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), San Francisco, CA (2 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (2 grants). 5% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Is Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 20 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $283K; repeat grants $160K. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $83K repeat.
- 30% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−4%). Method
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$40.6M
-2.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$4.3M
+6.7% YoY
Grant Count
22
+22.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$196K
-12.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation promotes the study and understanding of Islamic arts and cultures. Inspired by Doris Duke's devotion to global Muslim cultures, the foundation's work explores how media and entertainment can serve as platforms for reinforcing shared humanity.
The foundation operates the Building Bridges Program, its primary grant-making initiative launched in 2007 in response to anti-Muslim sentiment following 9/11. This program has distributed over $48 million to support arts- and media-based projects working with U.S. Muslims to advance relationships and understanding among diverse communities. The Building Bridges Program is described as the only program of its kind among private U.S. foundations specifically dedicated to elevating U.S. Muslim storytelling through media and entertainment.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
s and Range:**
Average Grant
$117,000
How to Apply
**
Ready to take the next step with Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in California, New York, and Illinois, with a national focus across the United States. The foundation has supported 71 unique organizations to date.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 22 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $40.6 million
- Annual Income: $12.3 million
- Total Giving: $4.3 million
- Total Expenses: $12.9 million
- Giving Rate: 31.7%
Historical Asset Growth:
- 2011: $33.3 million
- 2024: $40.6 million
2023 Financials:
- Total Assets: $41.5 million
- Total Revenue: $17.2 million
- Total Expenses: $17.1 million
- Total Liabilities: $6.53 million
The foundation has 16 employees.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $40,615,674 | $41,528,959 | $36,983,196 |
| Revenue | $12,324,284 | $17,225,453 | $11,130,266 |
| Expenses | $12,976,247 | $17,054,950 | $11,490,324 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $12,854,711 | $12,458,529 | $10,976,587 |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
163 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Center for Asian American Media ($963,000 across 2 grants), Pew Research Center ($531,250), University of Southern California ($530,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA SAN FRANCISCO, CA | REIMAGINING AND INVESTING IN A NEW INFRASTRUCTURE FOR US MUSLIM STORYTELLING IN INDEPENDENT FILM AND MEDIA. | $913,000 |
| PEW RESEARCH CENTER WASHINGTON, DC | TO SUPPORT THE TIMELY UPDATE OF THE U.S. MUSLIM LANDSCAPE STUDY AND TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF RELIGION, ETHNICITY AND RACE. | $531,250 |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, CA | TO SUPPORT THE "VIOLENCE AGAINST MUSLIMS IN FILM: EXPLORING THE PREVALENCE AND CONTEXT OF AGGRESSION ON SCREEN" STUDY AND DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS. | $530,000 |
| CENTER FOR CULTURAL AND TECHNICAL INTERCHANGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST HONOLULU, HI | TO SUPPORT THE CREATION OF THE DDF AND EWC INDO-PACIFIC FUTURES FELLOWSHIP, THAT SEEKS TO ENHANCE CAPACITY OF EMERGING LEADERS FROM AROUND THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION THROUGH CONNECTIONS, EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS. | $500,000 |
| SUNDANCE INSTITUTE PARK CITY, UT | TO SUPPORT EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED FILMMAKERS WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS AND PROJECT COMPLETION FUNDS. | $435,000 |
| GAMES FOR CHANGE INC NEW YORK, NY | TO SUPPORT A RESEARCH STUDY THAT INVESTIGATES MUSLIM STEREOTYPES IN VIDEO GAMES. | $200,000 |
| ISLAMIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND BERKELEY, CA | TO SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS, MENTORSHIP AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR FILMMAKERS PRODUCING AUTHENTIC U.S. MUSLIM NARRATIVES. | $173,000 |
| EL HIBRI FOUNDATION WASHINGTON, DC | TO SUPPORT THE PUBLIC NARRATIVE PROGRAM, A LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT BUILDS FUTURE COMMUNITIES AND FOSTERS SOCIAL CHANGE BY LEVERAGING THE POWER OF NARRATIVE. | $128,386 |
| THE NEW SCHOOL NEW YORK, NY | TO SUPPORT THE NEW UNIVERSITY IN EXILE CONSORTIUM UNIVERSITY IN EXILE FOR AFGHAN ARTISTS PROGRAM. | $125,000 |
| FILM MAKERS COLLABORATIVE INCORPORATED MELROSE, MA | TO SUPPORT THE DOCUMENTARY "HAKEEM THE AMERICAN DREAM". | $100,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Sam Gill – President and CEO (appointed April 2021)
- Zeyba Rahman – Program Director (promoted 2022)
- William H. Wright – Director/Chairperson
- Anthony S. Fauci – Vice Chairperson
- Peter Simmons – COO/Treasurer
- Erica Dziedzic – Secretary/Counsel
- Vishakha N. Desai – Director
- Marie Lynn Miranda – Director
- Nannerl O. Keohane – Director
- Afsaneh Beschloss – Director
- Mary Schmidt Campbell – Director
The foundation is governed by 13 officers and trustees.
Compensation Overview
No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.
From 2024 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsher Gill | CEO/President | 4 | — |
| Peter Simmons | COO/Treasurer (thru 02/2024) | 6 | — |
| Erica Dziedzic | Secretary/Counsel | 6 | — |
| Eileen Oberlander | Director of Finance & Treasurer | 6 | — |
| William H Wright | Dir./Chairperson | 0.5 | — |
| Anthony S Fauci | Vice Chairperson | 0.5 | — |
| Vishakha N Desai | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Marie Lynn Miranda | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Nannerl O Keohane | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Afsaneh Beschloss | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Mary Schmidt Campbell | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Catherine Marron | Director | 0.5 | — |
| John Talty | Director | 0.5 | — |
| David S Wilcove | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Jt Batson | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Brooke Jones | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Rochelle Walensky | Director (as of 04/2024) | 0.5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has significantly expanded its commitment to Muslim creative communities in recent years. Recent grant announcements include:
Doris Duke Foundation Announces $1M Grant to Sundance Institute Expanding**2025 Building Bridges Completion Fund:** Doris Duke Foundation and Sundance Institute announced recipients for the 2025 Building Bridges Completion Fund
Doris Duke Foundation and Sundance Institute Announce 2025 Building Bridges**Building Bridges Fellowship:** Multiple cohorts of filmmakers have been selected through partnerships with Sundance Institute and the Islamic Scholarship Fund to amplify U.S. Muslim stories
Doris Duke Foundation and Sundance Institute Announce 2025 Building Bridges**Yes, And... Laughter Lab:** The foundation's Building Bridges Program serves as a sponsor and funder of the Yes, And... Laughter Lab, a competitive incubation lab and pitch program that lifts up diverse comedy writers and performers creating new comedy about topics that matter
Doris Duke Foundation and Sundance Institute Announce 2025 Building BridgesSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art fund?
The foundation promotes the study and understanding of Islamic arts and cultures. Inspired by Doris Duke's devotion to global Muslim cultures, the foundation's work explores how media and entertainment can serve as platforms for reinforcing shared humanity. The foundation operates the **Building Bridges Program**, its primary grant-making initiative launched in 2007 in response to anti-Muslim sentiment following 9/11. This program has distributed over $48 million to support arts- and media-base…
How do I apply for a grant from Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art?
The foundation indicates it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art make grants?
The foundation primarily funds organizations in California, New York, and Illinois, with a national focus across the United States. The foundation has supported 71 unique organizations to date.
What size grants does Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art award?
In 2024, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art awarded 22 grants totaling $4.3M — an average of about $196K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's EIN?
Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 05-0523809. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.