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Dear Friend in Dharma,
This year, 149 American Buddhist organizations came to us seeking funding to bring meditation, mindfulness, compassion, and positive social action into communities that urgently need them. We were thrilled and inspired by the proposals, but our current 2026 grant fund can only support one-third of them.
So today, we are launching a new initiative that gives you the ability to directly ensure that a powerful Buddhist and/or mindfulness-meditation program receives the support it needs.
🌟 Introducing Adopt-A-Grant
With a gift of five figures ($10,000+), you can “adopt” one or more in whole or in part of the many excellent grants currently waiting for funding.
How it works:
✅ You choose a grant category your funding will support.
Categories are:
- Women in Buddhism
- Ecodharma
- Prisons, Law and the Justice System
- Buddhist Media & Technology
- Meditation & Mindfulness-Buddhist
- Meditation & Mindfulness-Other
- Meditation & Mindfulness - K-12
- End of Life Care
- BIPOC, Underserved Communities
Let’s say you choose BIPOC, Underserved Communities
Example: The Initiative for Black Buddhist Studies (IBBS) is a public scholarship project that centers the spiritual wisdom conveyed in Black voices and Buddhist practices. We engage Black Buddhist thought on three levels: academic discourse, digital media production, and community engagement. We collaborate with several organizations to offer programming and support for scholars, Buddhist practitioners, and activists. This grant would support amplification of and access to Black Buddhist thought and practices.
Or you choose Prisons, Law, & the Justice System
Example: We propose to develop two new Buddhist-based online courses for incarcerated individuals: Fear to Fearlessness and Resilience in Challenging Times. Building on the success of our Navigating Conflict program, which has reached over 10,000 participants, these courses will provide practical tools for managing fear and cultivating resilience. Delivered through secure prison tablets, they will especially support women prisoners while remaining universally impactful, offering sustainable, reusable programming with proven transformative results.
Or you choose Women in Buddhism
Example: This program centers historically marginalized lay women's Zen practices. Through online classes (national audience) and an intimate in-person retreat (60 participants), students explore healing rituals rooted in Japanese lay tradition and collaboratively co-create new ceremonies together. This signature program shifts American Zen away from patriarchal, monastery-centered models toward inclusive, accessible, lay-empowered practice—honoring women's spiritual leadership and expanding beyond gender binaries.
Or you choose Meditation & Mindfulness, Buddhist
Example: Lighting the Gate is a video series introducing Shingon Buddhism—Japan’s ritual-centered Vajrayana tradition—to English-speaking audiences. With few accessible resources currently available for those who don’t speak Japanese, this series offers a rare and welcoming introduction. Filmed at our Seattle temple and guided by ordained clergy, each episode presents key teachings and practices online, creating a visually rich path for seekers unable to access temples or traditional instruction.
Whatever category you choose, we will email you a group of fully vetted short grant descriptions in that category to choose from.
✅ You select the grant you wish to adopt and submit your five-figure donation. Your donation to the Lenz Foundation goes directly to that organization.
✅ Your generosity enables the transmission of Dharma in a direct, tangible way.
What you Receive as a Grant Adopter
- A copy of the proposal you are making real
- Recognition as “Grant Sponsor” for that project and on our website
- An update on outcomes when the work is complete
- The profound merit of actively shaping lives for the better
You can also choose to co-adopt a program with another donor or make a partial sponsorship to top up grants that are close to being funded.
If you would like to adopt a grant — or explore available options — please contact us
directly:
📩 info@fredericklenzfoundation.org
Or to make an immediate donation that expands the number of grants The Lenz Foundation can support:
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