A Message from the pcf board
2025: A Year in Review
Dear Friends,
We would like to express our deepest thanks for your ongoing support of the projects funded by the Pema Chödrön Foundation, near and dear to Pema’s heart, and have truly become a part of her lasting legacy.
Over the years, our financial support has expanded not only to support several Buddhist and Monastic programs, but we have a particular interest in many community engagement and at-risk initiatives.
Our funding comes predominantly from the royalties earned from Pema’s books and from generous contributions from our donors. We continue to foster the Pema Chödrön Foundation Endowment Fund so that we can support Pema’s heart projects for years to come.
We are proud to have funded over $1.6 million in projects in 2025, and we would like to highlight some of our dearest projects from this year.
PROJECT UPDATES
The PCF Book Initiative
The Book Initiative continues to grow, year after year! The Pema Chödrön Foundation has sent thousands of Pema’s books, at no cost, to prisons, hospitals, counseling centers, homeless shelters, and individuals around the world. Thanks to the support of many of you who believe in this project, our outreach continues to expand. Pema and The Foundation are committed to continuing this vital program which is a lifeline for so many. In 2025, we have spent over $60,000 sharing Pema's teachings to underserved populations.
Tibetan Nuns Project
Less than ten years ago, the first Tibetan Buddhist nuns made history when they graduated with the Geshema degree, equivalent to a PhD in Tibetan Buddhism. Until 2012, the highest degree was only open to men. The 2016 Geshema graduation ceremony marked a new chapter in the education of ordained Buddhist women. Last year, a record 144 nuns sat various levels of the 4-year Geshema exams and 13 graduated, bringing the total number of Geshemas to 73.
It is Pema’s deepest wish that Buddhist nuns are able to receive the full training and education needed to fully realize the wisdom of the tradition and to carry it into the future. It's vital that these nuns receive the same education and support as their male counterparts. To that end, The Tibetan Nuns Project provides humanitarian aid and education to refugee nuns from Tibet and the Himalayan regions of India.
We have been supporting this program since 2016.
H.E.L.P. (Himalayan Environment & Life Protection)
H.E.L.P.'s mission is to empower Himalayan communities and women to create holistic, sustainable and replicable, local and innovative solutions to become resilient in the face of climate change while fostering economic prosperity, social harmony and preserving cultural identity.
Awarded the UNDP's prestigious Equator prize in 2023, the Foundation proudly supports this innovative program which is rooted in Buddhist principle and initiated by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.
We have been supporting this program since 2020.
Homeboy Industries:
What began in 1988 as a way of improving the lives of former gang members in East Los Angeles has today become a blueprint for over 250 organizations and social enterprises around the world, from Alabama and Idaho, to Guatemala and Scotland. The Global Homeboy Network is a group of like-minded organizations committed to impacting the lives of those in their communities.
Pema and the Foundation are committed to this program because it provides a real opportunity for successful transformation towards nonviolence in people’s lives. For over 30 years, Homeboy Industries has proudly and compassionately stood with and served the most marginalized among us.
We have been supporting this project since 2017.
Gampo Abbey:
Gampo Abbey is Pema's home monastery, located in Nova Scotia, Canada. Since 1984, Gampo Abbey has flourished as a contemplative community for monastics and lay practitioners alike. The Abbey has grown to include the main monastery; Sopa Choling, a three-year retreat center; the Vidyadhara Institute, a monastic college; the Stupa of Enlightenment, consecrated by Thrangu Rinpoche in 1999; and cabins for individual retreat.
Pema continues to spend the winter months at Gampo Abbey teaching Yarne and guiding the monastic community.
Since the beginning of our Foundation in 2006, Gampo Abbey continues to be one of our top priorities.
OTHER UPDATES
Update on Pema:
Although Pema has retired from in-person, public teaching, she continues to offer online talks and courses. Much of Pema's time is now spent in retreat, yet she still teaches at Gampo Abbey, her home monastery in Nova Scotia. She is currently in good spirits and health and had her 89th birthday last July. We look forward to celebrating her 90th birthday in July 2026, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Pema Chödrön Foundation. Learn more about Pema's Legacy.
There is still time left to register for the 2026 "Ask Pema" Live Course! The first live call is Sunday, January 11th, 2026.
Update on the PCF:
The PCF has 4 actively working board members and 2 employees who receive modest salaries which make up less than 7% of the Foundation’s annual expenses. All of these efforts support Pema and her activities including all the work that goes into funding these impactful programs. With your help, not only do we continue to provide grants to many different Buddhist and Monastic programs every year, but we continue to expand our reach into several remarkable Community Service projects. See the full list of projects most recently supported.
With Gratitude:
Pema and the PCF board would like to extend our deepest thanks to all of our donors, and Pema's dedicated students, for your commitment to the many projects we support, and to Pema’s wish to practice compassion and generosity throughout the world.
We invite you to learn more about some of the special projects The Pema Chödrön Foundation supports and consider making a donation today. With your help, we can ensure that these programs are sponsored now and into the future.
In these troubling times on the planet, many of us are asking what we can do to spread love and compassion in order to mitigate fear and divisiveness. One very powerful step we can take is to help our fellow humans who are vulnerable and less fortunate than ourselves…
On behalf of Pema and The Pema Chödrön Foundation board,
Thank you for your interest and support of Pema’s work.
“Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”
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