Duke University owns more than 8,600 acres across Durham, employs more tens of thousands of residents, and pays no property tax on most of what it holds. For years, residents and council members have pressed a basic question: what does the city get back? Duke's answer is HomeGrown, a three-year, $203 million commitment covering local hiring, construction spending, small business purchasing, and affordable housing. The university launched it in March 2026 as rents in neighborhoods closest to campus have climbed faster than anywhere else in Durham.
- Minimum wage for Duke employees rises to $20 per hour on July 1. The local hiring target increases from 69% to 80% of new hires.
- Second-chance hiring slots for people with criminal records double from 50 to 100. Seventy-five new paid internships will run through the city's YouthWorks program.
- Duke directed $120 million toward Triangle construction firms and $45 million toward local businesses as part of the spending commitments.
- Affordable housing investment nearly triples, from $22 million to $60 million, routed through community development financial institutions.
These are goals, not contracts. Duke sets its own targets, tracks its own progress, and reports results at homegrown.duke.edu. No outside body enforces any of the commitments. Whether the gap between Durham's largest tax-exempt institution and the neighborhoods surrounding it narrows will depend on whether the university holds itself to the numbers it published.