A Visionary Community Partnership for the Sustainable Advancement of Durham as the Best Place to Live, Work and Visit
A Visionary Community Partnership for the Sustainable Advancement of Durham as the Best Place to Live, Work and Visit
A Letter From Our
Founding Executive Director
Two years ago, Durham’s Destination Master Plan set an ambitious roadmap for our future. Developed through extensive community engagement, the plan outlined more than 60 recommendations along with a set of strategic goals designed to strengthen Durham as a place to live, work and visit while preserving the character, culture and creativity that make this community so compelling. When I started last year, I saw firsthand that the challenge before us was not creating the vision, but building the focus, capacity and partnerships to turn that vision into action.
To meet that challenge, we worked with our Board of Directors to prioritize initiatives capable of creating lasting economic and community benefit. From strengthening the experiences and events that define Durham’s culture to exploring investments in sports, entertainment and visitor infrastructure, those priorities are helping move the Destination Master Plan from vision to implementation.
That progress is already visible, and the stories in this report highlight the projects and milestones that are helping bring the Destination Master Plan to life across Durham County.
What encourages me most is not any single project. It is the growing alignment around this work. Durham Next was created because no single organization can deliver a 20-year vision on its own. The choices we make in the coming years will shape how Durham is experienced for generations. By bringing partners together around a shared vision today, we have an opportunity to guide growth in ways that preserve Durham’s character while expanding its destination portfolio.
Thank you to our Board, our Community Advisory Council, our partners and Durham’s many community leaders. Together, we are creating the foundation for long-term success and ensuring that future generations inherit a Durham that is vibrant, welcoming and distinctly its own.
Tara Kenchen
Executive Director, Durham Next
Durham’s Future
By The Numbers
If we have 20 years to make Durham’s vision for the future a reality, why start now?
20 years ago, Durham’s leaders recognized its potential and created a vision for where Durham was headed.
Today, Durham is one of the fastest-growing places in the country — and the numbers back it up. Now, Durham finds itself at a similar inflection point. Securing the prosperous future that we hope to see by 2044 requires us to begin charting the course today.
Let’s take a look at the numbers: Durham County added residents at a rate of 1.4% in 2025, reaching more than 347,000 people, part of a North Carolina growth surge that ranked third-fastest among all states.
Zoom out to the metro, and the Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area has grown 6.6% since 2020 to roughly 621,000 people, with more than three-quarters of new arrivals coming from other countries — a level of international migration among the highest of any U.S. metro.
This growth isn’t just about population. It’s about momentum. Durham was just ranked No. 2 nationally in a new “Geography of Prosperity” index measuring which cities are best positioned for long-term, durable success — ahead of tech hubs like Seattle and Washington, D.C.
“A lot of times you have, in communities, great ideas, but you don’t have the right entity to make it happen. And Durham Next is the ‘make it happen’ organization for all of Durham.”
E’vonne Coleman, Durham Next Board | Arts & Tourism Consultant
The Durham-Chapel Hill metro also posted the largest gain in educational attainment of any metro in the country over the past five years. And major employers are taking notice: AbbVie recently committed $1.4 billion to a new 185-acre manufacturing campus in Durham, Novartis pledged $771 million and 700 jobs and Aspida Financial Services chose Durham County for its new global headquarters — all within the past year. Over the years, Durham’s leaders have leaned into the city’s tobacco-steeped history, championship legacy and ceiling-breaking reputation to position itself as the destination to watch.
More residents and more employers means more demand on the infrastructure, public spaces and institutions that help Durham thrive — the very things that can’t simply scale up overnight. This growth puts pressure on the affordability and character that makes people want to live here to begin with. A prosperous future for Durham lies in the community’s ability to generate and attract resources that support this growth. We can create a system for this through local tourism, turning the visitor dollar into a tool for community investment. In this equation, Durham’s visitor economy isn’t just nice to have anymore. It’s becoming an economic imperative.
That’s where the opportunity lies. Every dollar spent by a visitor at a local festival, restaurant or shop is new revenue that doesn’t have to be extracted from residents or strained public budgets. Investing in the visitor economy — in the festivals, events and spaces that define Durham’s culture — is a system for generating jobs and revenue that keep pace with the region’s growth, without asking Durham to trade away the character that’s fueling that growth in the first place.
The choice ahead isn’t whether Durham will keep growing. It’s whether Durham grows on its own terms. Destinations around the country are turning to local tourism to remain competitive, not just as a preferred visitor destination, but to attract the resources that support the communities calling that destination home.
As Durham grows, investing in our cultural and experiential infrastructure today will help ensure that the qualities that attract people here remain part of the Durham they find when they arrive. And that’s where Durham’s Destination Master Plan comes in.
Accolades
Destination Master Plan Vision
In 2024, Durham decided what it wanted to be by 2044.
The Destination Master Plan isn’t a wish list. It’s a map of what Durham can become. It came out of months of listening across the community — interviews, focus groups, town halls and a survey in English and Spanish.
2,300+ residents and stakeholders · 22 in-depth interviews · 11 focus groups · 2 town halls · 2,106 survey responses · 8 in 10 residents say tourism supports places and businesses
Nobody prescribed this vision. Durham wrote it. Durham created it:
The plan set four goals:
- Enhance Tourism Infrastructure
- Develop Attractions, Events & Experiences
- Support Purposeful Placemaking
- Accelerate Community Alignment
Durham Next’s Mission
A 20-year vision needs a capable and focused champion to see it through.
Durham Next exists to turn the Destination Master Plan into real projects, and to do it in a way that supports Durham’s growth without costing Durham its character.
We think about that work in three parts.
- We are here to evaluate. The plan has 61 recommended initiatives across four goals, and, while we hope Durhamites will familiarize themselves with the plan, the reality is that most will never read the whole thing. Our job is to make it make sense: where Durham is headed, why a project matters, how decisions get made and how money spent on visitors turns into something tangible: A block with more foot traffic than it had last year. A flagship festival to look forward to every year.
- We are here to steward. We know the plan and the place. We live, work and play here, too. So, we weigh every opportunity against what this community said it wanted, we spend carefully and, along the way, we continue asking: does this still feel like Durham?
- We are here to catalyze. Durham Next was created as a dedicated place to bring forth the work of the Destination Master Plan, so projects move on a timeline the community can see. This year, that meant seven projects in motion: welcome signage at RDU, a Durham County Memorial Stadium feasibility study, an assessment for a new live music and events venue and two funds designed to put money into festivals and events.
In one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, we’re working to shape it with intentionality and ensure the benefits are broadly shared.
We’re the steward of a plan that belongs to the whole community. Almost nothing in it belongs to one organization. So, we bring people together, we weigh what’s possible, we invest where it counts and we help advance shared priorities alongside the City and the County, Discover Durham, the Durham Sports Commission (DSC), business and cultural leaders, our Community Advisory Council and the residents who helped set the vision for Durham’s future of tourism.
“Having coordinated conversations mean so much more now than ever because we want to ensure this economy is viable, that it’s thriving, that it’s robust. So, the partnership within Durham Next will allow us to have those continued discussions so that we can continue to thrive.”
Claudia Hager, Durham Next Board | Durham County Government
Partnership isn’t just a nice word we put in a report. It’s the only way this work get done. Our innovative funding mechanism reflects that same philosophy, pooling resources to invest in a plan created by the community and designed to benefit the entire community.
Through the Destination Master plan, the Durham community set the vision for what’s next for Durham. Visitor spending funds it. Durham Next guides and catalyzes it. This is how this work moves intentionally. This is how we keep Durham a place to live, work and visit like no other.
FY26 Community Impact
Durham’s festivals and events do more than entertain — they put the city’s culture on display, draw visitors and send dollars into the local businesses that surround them.
Durham’s Destination Master Plan calls for dedicated funding to support these events and the public spaces that host them, and in 2025, we set out to identify opportunities to make this a reality.
“So, thinking about all the different areas of the city, county that we know makes for a better quality of life for people. How do we help improve those things in ways that also help us attract visitors?”
Lois Deloatch, Durham Next Board | Nonprofit Advisor & Musician
Working with industry consultants, our project team studied Durham’s festival ecosystem and looked at what’s working in comparable destinations. The research pointed to real opportunity: Durham can grow its signature festivals, build more flexible funding tools, deepen public-private partnerships, put underused community spaces to work and plan more collaboratively — all while growing economic impact and community participation.
That research led to the launch of our pilot Community Investment Program — Durham Next’s commitment to funding the festivals, events and initiatives that strengthen our visitor economy, enrich residents’ lives and move Durham closer to its 20-year vision. The program is funded through occupancy tax revenue from overnight hotel stays, meaning visitor dollars are reinvested directly into the experiences that attract people to visit.
The program includes two funds:
Through Accelerate: A Festival Collective, Durham Next invests up to $100,000 a year, for up to three years, in a select group of established festivals ready to grow. Beyond funding, recipients get hands-on support with business planning, marketing and sponsorship development — the tools to build long-term sustainability.
The Impact Fund offers matching investments of $10,000–$25,000 to local events and community-led activations. Through this fund, we’re able to support innovative ideas that happen on a smaller scale but still deliver big value for residents while drawing visitors to Durham.
We launched applications for each fund in May, and by August, we announced a collective investment of $535K to support the growth of five established festivals and production of six community-led events geared toward visitors.
Accelerate at a Glance:
Accelerate Applications Received: 30
Accelerate Awards: 5
Total Amounts Awarded for Accelerate in Fiscal Year 2026-2027: $400K
$100K to support marketing, promotion and partnership development
$100K to support marketing, venue expansion and accessibility improvements
$50K to support marketing, event costs and volunteer support
$50K to support extended programming
Parrish Street Ride, Run, Walk
$100K to support marketing, venue costs and participant experience
Impact Fund at a Glance:
Impact Fund Applications Received: 28
Impact Fund Awards: 6
Total Amounts Awarded for Impact Fund for Fiscal Year 2026-2027: $135K
A month-long holiday celebration in downtown Durham designed to unite and expand existing holiday activations ($25K)
Brings together internationally acclaimed artists, emerging voices and local innovators for a series of performances, workshops, conversations and community events ($25K)
A scent-integrated augmented reality experience honoring Parrish Street — the original Black Wall Street — in the heart of downtown Durham ($25K)
A free, multi-venue showcase of local Blues artists ($15K)
A vibrant, multi-day celebration dedicated to making the performing arts universally accessible, inclusive and deeply embedded within the Durham community ($25K)
A new, international commissioning initiative that positions Durham as a global center for artistic collaboration, innovation and cultural exchange ($20K)
This Year’s Progress on
Priority Projects
The Destination Master Plan identifies the viable opportunities to invest in Durham and create long-standing impact. From there, Durham Next’s Board of Directors and community partners guide the prioritization of projects based on factors like their ability to make positive economic and cultural impact in Durham, their cost and difficulty to complete and the intention to balance long-range and short-term progress.
Once those priorities are set, it’s our job to begin turning vision into action by thoughtfully evaluating investment opportunities, engaging stakeholders and weighing tradeoffs of impact and community benefit. You may find Durham Next leading the development of these projects or partnering in the community to move them forward. Above all, we’re a convener, bringing together the public and private sectors to advance local projects that ensure that tourism doesn’t just happen in Durham, but for Durham.
Over the last year, we worked collaboratively with community partners to make real progress on a number of those priorities, including:
Durham County Memorial Stadium
For nearly 70 years, Durham County Memorial Stadium has served our visitors and residents. Now, we’re exploring how this community asset can play an even greater role in our future. We launched a feasibility study in partnership with Durham County Government and the Durham Sports Commission to explore possibilities for the stadium’s future as a state-of-the-art, multipurpose venue. As a part of this effort, we began engaging with the community in a number of ways, including a survey, town halls and tabling events, to ensure that local priorities are considered in the development of the stadium’s next chapter.
New Music & Live Events Venue
Music and live events in Durham celebrate culture, host vibrant experiences enjoyed by both visitors and residents and generate economic support for our local businesses. In hopes of expanding that impact, we kicked off a feasibility study in partnership with DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center, to assess the possibility of a new music and live events venue in downtown Durham.
You can learn more about these projects, as well as other priority projects we’re leading or partnering on, through our Project Tracker at durhamnext.org/project-tracker.
Durham Next
Board of Directors
Recruited for their proven experience in community leadership, cultural development and business investment, Durham Next’s Board of Directors collaboratively shape the organization’s priorities and guide the initial steps for pursuing projects proposed in the Destination Master Plan.
Our Board members represent agencies and groups from both public and private sectors across Durham County, providing the perspectives and abilities to forge those necessary partnerships that help to further Durham Next’s mission.
Community Advisory Council
“If a place is growing without community involvement, it can be alienating…Durham Next is there to create the vision of what that next thing can in fact be.”
Geoff Durham, Durham Next Board | Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
Community engagement is critical to the work we do.
The Destination Master Plan vision anchors our mission in a commitment to honor Durham’s history and people each step of the way. This vision was collectively shaped by the thousands of voices that engaged with Discover Durham during the process to create the plan, and now, those voices help inform our approach to bringing the plan to life.
The Durham Next Community Advisor Council is a representative group of 27 community members contributing their perspectives to the project work and engagement strategies to ensure every initiative pursued is rooted in collective impact. Council members serve two-year terms, allowing them to immerse themselves in the work and follow the progression of the projects they help advise.
As trusted partners of the organization, the Council has spent its inaugural year of service:
- Learning about the impact of local tourism in Durham
- Setting benchmarks for what the community benefit of festivals and events in Durham should aim to achieve
- Shaping the framework of Durham Next’s pilot Community Investment Program
- Participating on the review committee selecting finalists for the pilot Community Investment Program
- Supporting the community engagement outreach efforts for the feasibility assessment of Durham County Memorial Stadium
Community Advisory Council Roster:
DNext CAC Roster 2025
Durham Next will begin recruiting its next round of applicants for the Community Advisory Council in the spring. Learn more about the Council and track opportunities to get involved at durhamnext.org/community-advisory-council/.
Durham Next
Making Headlines
We're on a mission to spark some meaningful community conversations about Durham's future. Through that effort, we generated more than 10 million media impressions over the last year. Here are some of our highlights.
The impact we’ve made this year is just the beginning, and with your partnership, we can do even more. Your support can help us drive lasting change. Connect with us on social @DurhamNext and sign up for our monthly newsletter to track Durham’s progress.
About
Durham Next
Durham Next is a community nonprofit building a prosperous Durham for everyone by actively pursuing transformative projects, programs and other community-based opportunities that will attract visitors and newcomers and build a thriving environment for our residents. Durham Next is operated by Discover Durham.
Highlights
Social Media
Achieving Durham’s 20-year vision to be the most welcoming, inclusive, innovative and vibrant destination in the country is a collaborative effort. To keep the community updated on our progress, we activate our social channels to share timely announcements, project updates, accomplishments and other opportunities to engage with us.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube to stay connected. You can also stay informed by signing up to receive our monthly newsletter here.