Duke University has received $18 million in philanthropic support in the form of a challenge fund to bolster DukeLIFE, a critical resource for first-generation and low-income undergraduates.

The collective gift represents the vision of lead donors Fred Sutherland ’73 and Barbara Sutherland ’75, both alumni and parents of two Duke graduates, and The Duke Endowment. The Sutherlands contributed $8 million, and The Duke Endowment contributed $10 million.

These new commitments make up a challenge fund that the lead donors hope will inspire others to establish endowments for DukeLIFE. The overall goal of the challenge match is to raise $40 million to provide ongoing, lasting support into the future.

“DukeLIFE ensures that all undergraduate students have the support and resources to fully pursue their goals, cultivate lifelong mentoring relationships and create community here at Duke,” said President Vincent E. Price. “I am deeply grateful to the Sutherland family and The Duke Endowment for their strong belief in the value of this program and for enabling more alumni and donors to sustain this support for generations of students to come.”

DukeLIFE, which stands for Low Income, First Generation Engagement, was established in 2020 as the university’s signature program to recruit and support the best and brightest students regardless of their ability to meet the cost of attendance. The program acts as a central hub for connecting students to academic resources, career guidance, financial support and faculty to help ensure their success at Duke.

Research shows that many elite universities tend to admit limited-income students—but without anticipating their unique, holistic needs. Today, DukeLIFE is recognized nationally as one of the best and most comprehensive support programs for first-generation, low-income undergraduates at a top-tier university.

Duke’s financial aid packages are among the strongest in the nation, and 23% of Duke students are Pell-eligible, meaning they qualify to receive federal grants because of exceptional financial need.

“A combination of grants, loans, and work-study typically will cover Duke’s sticker price. But they don’t often cover what is known as the ‘total cost of attendance,’” said Sachelle

Ford, director of DukeLIFE. “Those are the costs beyond Duke’s tuition or room and board—the unanticipated costs that shouldn’t burden families but often do.”

Victoria Pinedo, a first-generation alumna from Florida who graduated in 2022 and is now pursuing her M.B.A. at Duke, said that for many first-generation students it is difficult to navigate a journey of “firsts,” all the while caring for themselves and making the most of Duke. Many students are navigating processes and resources for the first time. Before Pinedo arrived on campus, she said she had dental issues because she couldn’t afford dental insurance.

“I didn’t grow up necessarily considering that an emergency,” Pinedo said. ”And I thought it could wait.

Situations like this are exactly the types of challenges that DukeLIFE seeks to support for all of Duke’s first-generation/low-income students.

“Emergency funds for medical appointments, course materials, tutoring, summer internships, research opportunities—access to these resources can seem normal for many Duke students, but if you need these things and can’t get them, it can derail your academic progress,” said Lee D. Baker, vice provost for undergraduate education, “DukeLIFE provides resources to ensure that students can take full advantage of everything the university offers.”

Lead donors Fred and Barbara Sutherland said investing in a program that makes such a significant difference in the lives of Duke students is personally meaningful. In 2015, also in partnership with The Duke Endowment, the Sutherlands were lead donors in helping launch the Access and Opportunity financial aid challenge for Duke, which raised $61 million for scholarship endowments. The Sutherlands and the Endowment each gave $10 million to create that matching challenge.

“We believe that Duke is enriched by matriculating talented students from a variety of backgrounds who may not be able to take advantage of the opportunities here without financial support,” Barbara Sutherland said. “DukeLIFE is an important initiative to help ensure that these deserving students will say ‘yes’ to joining the Duke community.”

Fred Sutherland said he could not agree more.

“As a first-generation college student myself, I recognize that support for low-income and first-generation students doesn’t end the first day at Duke; it only begins,” Sutherland said. “This new gift for DukeLIFE ensures that students do not just attend Duke, but feel that they have the resources they need to succeed and a community they can count on.”

The collective funds also build on The Duke Endowment’s long history of advancing access and opportunity at Duke. In recent years, The Duke Endowment has supported historic programs such as the Initiative for Students from the Carolinas, which provides full tuition grants for undergraduates from North and South Carolina with a total family income of $150,000 or less.

“With this new investment, The Duke Endowment will help Duke extend its commitment to student success well beyond tuition and fees, ensuring more students can thrive both inside and outside the classroom,” said Charles C. Lucas III, chair of The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees. “The Duke Endowment is honored to be part of building a future where every Duke student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $5 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.