
Manages endowments, temple investment accounts, and administers fundraising support for the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) and the Institute of Buddhist Studies to support Shin Buddhist education, sangha engagement, ministerial pathways, leadership growth, temple needs, and community aid.
A defining feature of the Buddhist Churches of America Endowment Foundation is its repeated support for propagation of Shin Buddhism through two core institutions: Buddhist Churches of America and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. The largest recent grants in the data went to Buddhist Churches of America for $1,218,266 in 2025 and to the Institute of Buddhist Studies for $1,194,105 in 2025, showing a grantmaking pattern centered on institutional religious support rather than a wide mix of outside charities. Across recent years, the foundation also backed both organizations with similar six- and seven-figure awards in 2023 and 2024. Its stated work includes managing endowments and temple investment accounts, while also administering fundraising support for BCA and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. The program areas tied to that work point to Shin Buddhist education, sangha engagement, ministerial pathways, leadership growth, temple needs, and community aid. The foundation’s active grant programs also include support for archives and historic preservation, planned giving, and charitable matching for temple-led social welfare efforts. Together, the pattern suggests a funder focused on sustaining Buddhist institutions, clergy pathways, and community infrastructure over time.
Shin Buddhist education is central to the foundation’s giving. In 2025, it awarded $1,194,105 to the Institute of Buddhist Studies for propagation of Shin Buddhism, following similar support in 2024 and 2023. The same religious theme appears in its grants to Buddhist Churches of America, including $711,415 in 2024 for propagation of Shin Buddhism. Beyond education and propagation, the foundation supports institutional continuity through temple-related work. Its active grant programs include an Archives & Historic Preservation Committee Grant that helps temples preserve memorabilia and prepare materials for the UCLA Library’s BCA Collection. It also lists planned giving resources tied to endowment support, and a Social Welfare Fund that matches temple donations for basic human needs.
The typical grant size is large and tightly clustered: p25 is $696,678, median is $741,958, and p75 is $811,073. Recent awards show a recurring relationship with the same recipients across multiple years rather than isolated one-off gifts. The foundation’s recent grantmaking reflects institutional support through program-related investments as well as grants, with no individual giving. Its active programs are mostly unsolicited, including Social Welfare Fund matches, historic preservation support, planned giving, and general charitable aid through temples and community groups.
$5.5M
$49.4M
$5.9M
$3.1M
Most grants fall between $697K and $811K, with a median of $742K.
25th Percentile
$697K
Median
$742K
75th Percentile
$811K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
HIDEAKI MIZUNO
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Grantmaking is local in practice: 100% of grants in the data went to recipients in California. The two named recipient cities in the recent grants are San Francisco and Berkeley, each appearing repeatedly in the six listed awards. That concentration fits the foundation’s California-centered pattern, with the top state by grant count also California. Outside the United States, no recipient countries appear in the recent grants table.
It concentrates on Buddhist institutions connected to Shin Buddhism, especially Buddhist Churches of America and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. The active programs also point to temples, churches, community groups acting as fiscal agents, and efforts tied to propagation, education, archives, and social welfare.
The grant-size distribution is high and relatively tight: p25 is $696,678, the median is $741,958, and p75 is $811,073. Recent awards cluster in that range, with multiple six- and seven-figure grants.
Yes. Active programs include a Social Welfare Fund for basic human needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical care, plus an Archives & Historic Preservation Committee Grant for temple memorabilia and donation materials for the UCLA Library’s BCA Collection.
The recent data shows recurring support. Buddhist Churches of America and the Institute of Buddhist Studies each appear in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with similar awards across those years.
Yes. Several active programs are marked as accepting unsolicited requests, including the Social Welfare Fund — Temple Charitable Match Program, the BCA Archives & Historic Preservation Committee Grant, Planned Giving resources, the Social Welfare Fund — Temple General Grant, and the Dana Program.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $1,218,266 | 2025 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
| INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES | BERKELEY, CA | $1,194,105 | 2025 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
| BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $711,415 | 2024 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
| INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES | BERKELEY, CA | $652,467 | 2024 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
| BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $926,793 | 2023 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
| INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES | BERKELEY, CA | $772,500 | 2023 | PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM |
BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA
$1,218,266PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM
INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
$1,194,105PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM
BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA
$711,415PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM
INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
$652,467PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM
BUDDHIST CHURCHES OF AMERICA
$926,793PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM
INSTITUE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
$772,500PROPAGATION OF SHIN BUDDHISM