Where a Small Grant Changes Everything
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What disappears when a community loses its traditions, its livelihoods, or its young people?
In Bhutan, these losses are not abstract. They are already happening quietly—in mountain villages where wool traditions are fading, and younger generations no longer hear traditional folk songs, in highland communities where entire ways of life are at risk of disappearing, and across the country as young people leave in search of job opportunities abroad.
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This is why your support matters now.
Through the Bhutan Foundation's Small Grants Program, you can help keep culture alive, strengthen rural livelihoods, and empower young people to start new businesses. With grants of up to $15,000, we’re putting resources directly into communities to solve these challenges.
So what can your support make possible this year?
| Read more to learn about some of the different ways your generosity could transform lives. | EMPOWERING WOMEN & CONSERVING TEXTILE HERITAGE | |
Women Weavers’ Market Access: For many women in Bhutan, weaving is a vital source of income that supports their families. Yet, too often, skilled weavers are unable to earn sustainable income because they lack access to financial training, market information, and direct buyers. Your gift will help more than 150 home-based weavers in Thimphu and Mongar to be trained and mentored in financial literacy, quality control, pricing, and market access. A small grant will help women earn more from their craft, strengthen household incomes, and empower women to take greater control of their financial futures.
Indigenous Wool Revival in Bumthang: With your support, nine women in Zhurey and Bhim will revive sheep-rearing traditions to produce local wool for Mathra and Yathra weaving, generating sustainable income.
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Yak Fiber Enterprise in Dagala: When a yak-herding family leaves the mountains, we lose generations of knowledge about the land, wildlife, climate, and traditions that cannot easily be replaced. Highland herding families in Dagala need your support to transform underutilized yak fiber and invasive plant species into high-value textiles, natural dyes, and environmentally friendly products. This proposed enterprise will create new income opportunities for herders, while preserving traditional knowledge and supporting stewardship of fragile mountain ecosystems.
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Ancient Ballads from the Black Mountains: Traditional Bhutanese musical ballads such as Zhungdra and Boedra carry centuries of history, stories, and cultural identity. But as elders age and young people leave their villages, many of these oral traditions risk being lost. As Project Lead Pema Wangchuk explains, “Bhutan places strong emphasis on cultural preservation as a cornerstone of national identity, yet there is currently no centralized platform that gives people access to traditional musical heritage.” Your support can help change that. With a small grant, the College of Language and Culture Studies will document 20 traditional songs and dances from Korphu Gewog (in the heart of the Black Mountains) and create a free app with recordings, lyrics, and a digital archive, ensuring that Bhutan's cultural treasures are recorded and accessible.
| EDUCATING & INVESTING IN YOUTH | |
KidsMBA Entrepreneurship Program: Bhutan’s future depends on creating opportunities that inspire young people to stay, contribute, and lead in their own communities. Your gift can help 75 students across Mongar, Chhukha, and Wangdue Phodrang participate in an entrepreneurship program that teaches business, creativity, and problem-solving through the lens of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness framework. These young people will gain the confidence and skills to become future innovators, business owners, job creators, and community leaders.
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Motor Activity Training for Persons with Disabilities: People with disabilities face the risk of social isolation and sedentary lifestyle. Special Olympics Bhutan hopes to launch Bhutan's first structured Motor Activity Training Program. With your support, people with disabilities can build skills, gain confidence, and experience greater inclusion through adaptive sports and community engagement. As Ms. Tshering Dema of Special Olympics Bhutan notes, “the program aims to reduce health risks, enhance social inclusion, and create a sustainable, scalable model for improving the wellbeing of persons with disabilities in Bhutan.”
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