Founded in 2008, we have supported centers and non-centers to date in 32 countries throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia & Oceania, and Europe & the Middle East.
Our Mission
VCF’s mission is to provide resources for the spread of Vipassana meditation around the globe, by providing grants and capacity building investments to new and existing centers worldwide.
Our PROJECTS/FUNDING
VCF’s overarching goal is to support the growth of new and existing centers. We do this through various mechanisms:
General capacity building/operating grants: for construction, legal, dhamma registration, etc.
Land purchase for centers that are not yet registered
Low-cost loans (through our revolving loan fund program)
Our STRUCTURE
The Vipassana Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to receive, manage, and distribute charitable donations globally to support the growth of the teaching and practice of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U B Khin.
The Foundation is a qualified nonprofit public charity organization under 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
The Foundation is run by an active board of directors that is comprised of a majority of senior teachers in this tradition of meditation.
Donations may be received from anyone who has completed at least one 10-day course in Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka, or by anyone (individual or organization) that is affiliated to an old student in this tradition in some way.
OUR HISTORY
Click here for more information about how VCF was founded and its history over the past 15 years.
“VCF has funded 44 centers in 12 countries to date. We feel deeply honored to be able to help support the growth of dhamma globally.”
What We've Achieved
Started originally with grantmaking to centers in the Americas — but as of 2020 have expanded to a global focus.
To date, have provided grants to 16 centers in 9 countries in the Americas: the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Since early 2020, have also provided grants to 28 centers in Burma, India, Sri Lanka and Australia — as part of our new international focus.
Have supported the land purchase for new and existing centers: 3 centers in the U.S., 1 center in Canada, and 1 center in Colombia.
In 2019 launched our revolving loan program, providing low cost grants to new centers who might not be able to get reasonable bank loans as they are just getting started.
In 2020, launched a new COVD-fund to help support centers in the Americas being impacted by COVID-19.