Mindfulness and Contemplative Christianity Grants

The Trust for the Meditation Process offers grants focused on mindfulness and contemplative Christianity, aiming to promote health, wholeness, and inner awareness through silent practices. These grants support non-profit organizations that enhance contemplative traditions, expand mindfulness education, and connect with underserved communities. With a rich history dating back to 1986, the program seeks to foster compassion and dialogue among various contemplative practices, making a significant impact on mental and emotional well-being.

Since 1986, The Trust for the Meditation Process has encouraged the practice of inner, silent awareness, whether it's called meditation, mindfulness or contemplative prayer. Our financial grants to non-profit organizations renew contemplative Christianity, promote health and wholeness, and bring silence and stillness to a hectic world.
Many people think of meditation as an exclusively Eastern religious practice. But Western religion, too, has a long tradition of silent, non-discursive prayer, often called contemplation, which is rooted in a rich mystical literature. Contemporary thinkers are unearthing this tradition.
Grants made in the Contemplative Christianity Program have these objectives:  Introduce or expand the teaching and practice of Christian contemplative practices, such as Christian Meditation or Centering Prayer.Focus on silent, non discursive meditation rather than another aspect or method of prayer or spiritual formation.Connect with a Christian audience or have a Christian context.Identify and support emerging scholars and leaders in Contemplative Christianity and Christian mysticism.Raise the profile of Contemplative Christianity, with language and programs that speak to all Christian denominations and that reconnect people to Christian contemplative traditions.Reach underserved populations, such as children, teens, and young adults, people of color, people who are LGBTQ, people with low incomes and people facing addictions, illness, trauma or loss.Encourage dialogue among contemplative traditions in all religions.
Mindfulness Grants
Thirty years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts medical school adapted classic forms of meditation found in most religions for a modern, secular audience. A simple practice of paying silent attention to the present moment formed the core of their efforts to help people improve physical and emotional health.
Since then, a large and rigorous body of research has shown that a regular practice of mindfulness meditation can change us in many significant ways: improving immune function, reducing stress, reducing pain and symptoms of chronic disease, improving sleep, improving attention, fostering self- care and compassion, and the list continues to grow. Today, an ever widening interest in the benefits of mindfulness practice has led to its introduction in many fields and professions.
Grants made in the Mindfulness Program have both of these objectives:
Introduce or expand mindfulness meditation through educational or human service nonprofits or government entities, such as K-12 public schools, colleges and universities, correctional facilities, rehabilitation programs, healthcare, counseling and case management services.Reach underserved populations, such as children, teens, and young adults, BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, people in the criminal justice system, people with low incomes, and people facing addictions, illness, trauma or loss.
Mindfulness Program grants are highly competitive and we generally receive more applications than we can award.
Grant Guidelines
Our focus is short-term projects where a small grant can make a credible impact and result in clearly identifiable outcomes. We make 20 to 40 grants annually. Initial awards are typically small – $3,000 to $5,000.
The type of projects we fund includes:
Meditation courses, workshops, lectures or retreats.Trainings, sabbaticals, retreats and other development for meditation teachers.Meditation curriculum development.Books, supplies and equipment for meditation programs.Efforts to expand and build the capacity of meditation programs and address barriers to practice. Meditation research, especially the development of simple, effective, accessible evaluation tools.Publications that effectively spread critical perspectives on meditation and meet an important gap in the current literature.East/West meditation dialogue.

Eligibility

We generally limit grants to the United States. International grants as well as grants to endowment, capital campaigns, and general operating support are very rare. Projects should clearly address one or more of the objectives listed in either the Contemplative Christianity Program or the Mindfulness Program.We fund direct project costs only and do not support indirect overhead allocations.

Ineligibility

Grants to endowment and capital campaigns and to general operating support are very rare.