The Yeshe Khorlo Foundation focuses its giving on preserving and supporting Tibetan/Buddhist religious institutions and their communities, funding centers, monastic welfare, and educational/lecture programs tied to Tibetan and Mahayana traditions. Grants are directed to well-known Tibetan Buddhist networks and trusts (including the Dalai Lama and FPMT affiliates) and emphasize both institutional operating support and direct care for monks, nuns, and sangha-related social services. The foundation’s grants reflect a clear cultural and spiritual mission rather than general secular philanthropy.
A defining feature of Yeshe Khorlo Foundation (in Care of Aragon Trust Company) is its sustained support for Tibetan Buddhist institutions and the communities around them. The largest recent grant in the file is $500,000 to The Dalai Lama Trust for the Dalai Lama Center for Tibetan and Indian Ancient Wisdom, signaling a strong interest in preservation of religious teaching and cultural knowledge. Other sizable gifts show the same pattern: repeated support for Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) through the Lama Zopa Rinpoche Bodhichitta Fund, and multi-year support for The Tibet Center Inc. in New York for administrative functions and lecture programs. The foundation also funds monastic welfare directly. Grants to Palpung Munishasan Dharmchakra Sangh and The Rato Dratsang Foundation are tied to food, clothing, education, and medical assistance for monks, nuns, and staff. Alongside institutional support, the foundation backs teaching archives and advocacy groups connected to Tibet, including preservation, publication, and human-rights work. The result is a grant portfolio centered on Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhist religious life, with giving that combines operating support, direct service, and cultural preservation.
The foundation gives across a small set of closely related cause areas. In religious education and lecture programming, it awarded $70,000 to The Tibet Center Inc. for administrative functions and lecture programs in New York City and New Jersey, and later added a $10,000 grant for the Khyongla Rato Rinpoche archive project. In monastic welfare, it gave $100,000 to Palpung Munishasan Dharmchakra Sangh for the Sangha Cares Program, which provided food, clothing, education, and healthcare for 1,013 monks, nuns, and staff. It also supported The Rato Dratsang Foundation with $30,000 for food and medical assistance for monastics in Karnataka, India. Preservation and publication appear in grants to Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Inc. for the development and publication of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teaching. The portfolio also includes advocacy work through Rights Action Lab Inc. and International Campaign for Tibet.
$4.8M
$2.9M
$143K
$4.9M
Most grants fall between $20K and $100K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$100K
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Yeshe Khorlo Foundation (In Care of Aragon Trust Company).
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 24 | $1.1M | 72.7% |
| 2 |
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Concentrated, high-value grants to a small set of repeat grantees and established Tibetan Buddhist networks; mix of multi-year and program/operating support focused on institutional sustainability and direct sangha services.
Notable grantees: The Dalai Lama Trust, Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), The Tibet Center, Inc., Palpung Munishasan Dharmchakra / Palpung Munishasan Dharmchakra Sangh
Recent grants cluster around several size bands, with a typical grant size of $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. The file shows repeated awards to the same recipients across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including FPMT, The Tibet Center Inc., Rights Action Lab Inc., and The Rato Dratsang Foundation, which suggests recurring support rather than isolated one-off gifts. The foundation funds individuals, and the grants include both general operating support and project-specific support. Its latest 990 year on file is 2025, and the annual grants given total $1,515,000.
Most grants in the file go to recipients in the United States, with 18 grants, while 5 grants go to India. New York City appears repeatedly through The Tibet Center Inc., The Rato Dratsang Foundation, and Students for a Free Tibet Inc.; Somerville, Massachusetts appears in the Rights Action Lab Inc. grants; and Portland, Oregon appears in the FPMT grants. In India, recipients include Dharamsala and Karnataka, reflecting support for Tibetan and monastic institutions tied to those locations.
The grants focus on Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhist institutions and related communities. Recent awards support the Dalai Lama Trust, FPMT, The Tibet Center Inc., Palpung Munishasan Dharmchakra Sangh, The Rato Dratsang Foundation, Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Inc., and Tibet-focused advocacy groups such as Rights Action Lab Inc. and International Campaign for Tibet.
Yes. The file shows repeated grants to several organizations across multiple years, including FPMT in 2023, 2024, and 2025; The Tibet Center Inc. in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Rights Action Lab Inc. in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and The Rato Dratsang Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant-size distribution centers at $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. That pattern sits alongside a few larger awards, including a $500,000 grant to The Dalai Lama Trust.
Most grants go to recipients in the United States, which accounts for 18 grants, while 5 grants go to India. Named recipient locations include New York, New York; Somerville, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; Dharamsala; and Karnataka.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
| India |
| 7 |
| $1.5M |
21.2% |
| 3 | Switzerland | 2 | $9M | 6.1% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GADEN PHODRAMG FOUNDATION OF THE DALAI LAMA | ZURICH | $4,500,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS WITH FOCUS ON THE PRESERVATION OF CONTEMPLATIVE WISDOM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS FOR THE ANCIENT LEARNING. |
| PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA SANGH | HI | $100,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS FOR THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2025-26 TO PROVIDE FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 1,026 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF. |
| THE TIBET CENTER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS IN THE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATIONS FOR 2025. |
| RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC | SOMERVILLE, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE LAUNCH AND PROMOTION OF THE REPORT ON COLONIAL BOARDING SCHOOLS AND THE FUTURE OF TIBET. |
| MAITRIPA COLLEGE | PORTLAND, OR | $40,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS FOR MAITRIPA RABJUNGMA COMMUNITY PROJECT TO EMPOWER WOMEN BY CREATING LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM THROUGH RESIDENTIAL MONASTIC TRAINING PROGRAM. |
| THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS FOR 2025 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA. |
| LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC | LINCOLN, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHES TEACHING. |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT) | PORTLAND, OR | $120,000 | 2025 | THE GRANT IS FOR LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND TO SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES INCLUDING BUILDING STUPAS, FOOD OFFERED DAILY TO STUDENTS, HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND VARIOUS SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES. |
| PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA SANGH | — | $100,000 | 2025 | THE GRANT IS FOR THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2024-25 TO PROVIDE FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 1,013 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF. |
| THE TIBET CENTER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | IT'S A GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS IN THE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATIONS FOR 2024. |
| RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC | SOMERVILLE, MA | $30,000 | 2025 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT "STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT TO FIGHT COLONIAL BOARDING SCHOOLS IN TIBET". |
| THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | THE GRANT IS FOR 2024 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA. |
| LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC | LINCOLN, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE'S TEACHING. |
| THE DALAI LAMA TRUST | DHARAMSALA | $500,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DALAI LAMA CENTER FOR TIBETAN AND INDIAN ANCIENT WISDOM. |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT) | PORTLAND, OR | $120,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS FOR LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND TO SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES INCLUDING BUILDING STUPAS, FOOD OFFERED DAILY TO STUDENTS, HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND VARIOUS SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES. |
| PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA | — | $100,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2023-24 FOR FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 986 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF. |
| THE TIBET CENTER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2024 | IT IS A GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND THE LECTURE PROGRAMS IN NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY FOR 2023. |
| THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS FOR 2023 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA. |
| LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC | LINCOLN, MA | $20,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE'S TEACHING. IT IS A THREE-YEAR GRANT FROM 2023 TO 2025. |
| RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC | SOMERVILLE, MA | $20,000 | 2024 | THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT "PREVENT CRITICAL GENOCIDE IN TIBET". |
| THE TIBET CENTER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT THE KHYONGLA RATO RINPOCHE ARCHIVE PROJECT. |
| FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT) | PORTLAND, OR | $110,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT ITS LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND, ITS SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING TO BUILD STUPAS, FOOD OFFER DAILY TO STUDENTS STUDY, HEALTH CARE SERVICES. VARIETY OF SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES; MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES. |
| THE TIBET CENTER INC | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2023 | ITS SUPPORTING FOR GENERAL OPERATING GRANT, ITS SUPPORT OF ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS AS BOTH OUR NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATION FOR 2022. |
| THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2023 | IT WAS A GRANT TO "RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL 2022" ITS SUPPORT IS TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA. |
| INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET | N W WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2023 | IT WAS A GENERAL SUPPORT GRANT. THE GRANTEE'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS FOR THE PEOPLE OF TIBET. |
| RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC | SOMERVILLE, MA | $20,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT ITS PROJECT OF BUILDING STRATEGIES RESISTANCE IN TIBET WHILE COUNTERING CHINA'S AUTHORITARIAN REACH IN THE WORLD. |
| STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET INC | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | ITS SUPPORTING FOR GENERAL OPERATING GRANT FOR 2022. |
GADEN PHODRAMG FOUNDATION OF THE DALAI LAMA
$4,500,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS WITH FOCUS ON THE PRESERVATION OF CONTEMPLATIVE WISDOM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS FOR THE ANCIENT LEARNING.
PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA SANGH
$100,000THE GRANT IS FOR THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2025-26 TO PROVIDE FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 1,026 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF.
THE TIBET CENTER INC
$70,000GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS IN THE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATIONS FOR 2025.
RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC
$50,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE LAUNCH AND PROMOTION OF THE REPORT ON COLONIAL BOARDING SCHOOLS AND THE FUTURE OF TIBET.
MAITRIPA COLLEGE
$40,000THE GRANT IS FOR MAITRIPA RABJUNGMA COMMUNITY PROJECT TO EMPOWER WOMEN BY CREATING LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM THROUGH RESIDENTIAL MONASTIC TRAINING PROGRAM.
THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION
$30,000THE GRANT IS FOR 2025 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA.
LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC
$20,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHES TEACHING.
FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT)
$120,000THE GRANT IS FOR LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND TO SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES INCLUDING BUILDING STUPAS, FOOD OFFERED DAILY TO STUDENTS, HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND VARIOUS SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES.
PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA SANGH
$100,000THE GRANT IS FOR THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2024-25 TO PROVIDE FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 1,013 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF.
THE TIBET CENTER INC
$70,000IT'S A GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS IN THE NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATIONS FOR 2024.
RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC
$30,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT "STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT TO FIGHT COLONIAL BOARDING SCHOOLS IN TIBET".
THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION
$30,000THE GRANT IS FOR 2024 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA.
LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC
$20,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE'S TEACHING.
THE DALAI LAMA TRUST
$500,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DALAI LAMA CENTER FOR TIBETAN AND INDIAN ANCIENT WISDOM.
FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT)
$120,000THE GRANT IS FOR LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND TO SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES INCLUDING BUILDING STUPAS, FOOD OFFERED DAILY TO STUDENTS, HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND VARIOUS SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES.
PALPUNG MUNISHASAN DHARMCHAKRA
$100,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE SANGHA CARES PROGRAM 2023-24 FOR FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE FOR 986 MONKS, NUNS AND STAFF.
THE TIBET CENTER INC
$70,000IT IS A GENERAL OPERATING GRANT TO SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND THE LECTURE PROGRAMS IN NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY FOR 2023.
THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION
$30,000THE GRANT IS FOR 2023 RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA.
LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE INC
$20,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE'S TEACHING. IT IS A THREE-YEAR GRANT FROM 2023 TO 2025.
RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC
$20,000THE GRANT IS TO SUPPORT "PREVENT CRITICAL GENOCIDE IN TIBET".
THE TIBET CENTER INC
$10,000TO SUPPORT THE KHYONGLA RATO RINPOCHE ARCHIVE PROJECT.
FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION (FPMT)
$110,000TO SUPPORT ITS LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE BODHICHITTA FUND, ITS SUPPORT LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING TO BUILD STUPAS, FOOD OFFER DAILY TO STUDENTS STUDY, HEALTH CARE SERVICES. VARIETY OF SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES; MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES.
THE TIBET CENTER INC
$70,000ITS SUPPORTING FOR GENERAL OPERATING GRANT, ITS SUPPORT OF ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS AND LECTURE PROGRAMS AS BOTH OUR NEW YORK CITY AND NEW JERSEY LOCATION FOR 2022.
THE RATO DRATSANG FOUNDATION
$30,000IT WAS A GRANT TO "RATO FOOD AND MEDICAL 2022" ITS SUPPORT IS TO HOUSE, FEED AND PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE MONASTICS WHO LIVE AND STUDY AT THE RE-ESTABLISHED RATO DRATSANG IN KARNATAKA, INDIA.
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET
$30,000IT WAS A GENERAL SUPPORT GRANT. THE GRANTEE'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS FOR THE PEOPLE OF TIBET.
RIGHTS ACTION LAB INC
$20,000TO SUPPORT ITS PROJECT OF BUILDING STRATEGIES RESISTANCE IN TIBET WHILE COUNTERING CHINA'S AUTHORITARIAN REACH IN THE WORLD.
STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET INC
$15,000ITS SUPPORTING FOR GENERAL OPERATING GRANT FOR 2022.