BESS Family Foundation
Invitation OnlyWilmington, Delaware · EIN 27-0284495 · Private foundation
Grants paid (2024)$1.3M
Organizations funded52
Typical grant$25,000
Total assets$2M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $10,000 and $33,333.
From the return
How to apply
On its return for tax year 2024 the foundation checked the box saying it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
100% of grants went outside Delaware.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inquiring Systems Inc | Santa Rosa, CA | One Earth Sangha | $100,000 |
| University of Wisconsin | Green Bay, WI | the Loka Initiative | $100,000 |
| Garrison Institute | Garrison, NY | a project to map and grow the field of interconnected people and organizations leading Earth-based mindfulness and meditation practices | $50,000 |
| Insight Meditation Society Inc | Barre, MA | integrating earth awareness practices into new and existing programs | $50,000 |
| Inward Bound Mindfulness Education Inc | Attleboro, MA | integration of earth awareness practices into existing programs | $50,000 |
| Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery Inc C O Ben | Cold Springs, NY | Capital improvements fund | $50,000 |
| Sati Center for Buddist Studies | Redwood City, CA | the Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy Program | $50,000 |
| University of California San Francisco Foundation | San Francisco, CA | Climate Resilience course/Epel | $50,000 |
| Beloved Community Circles | Belmont, MA | General & Unrestricted | $40,000 |
| Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Inc | Barre, MA | General & Unrestricted | $35,000 |
| Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Inc | Barre, MA | a series of three ecodharma retreats to be held at BCBS | $33,333 |
| Big Springs Garden Retreat Center Inc | Sierra City, CA | a series of three ecodharma retreats | $33,333 |
| Insight Meditation Community of Washington | Montgomry Vlg, MD | a series of three ecodharma retreats to be held at the seven oaks retreat center | $33,333 |
| Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center | Niwot, CO | a series of three Ecodharma nature retreats to be held at RMERC | $33,333 |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | travel expenses associated with the 2024 Indigenous mindfulness coalition retreat led by Dr Jeffrey Proulx | $25,000 |
| Cambridge Insight Meditation Center Inc | Cambridge, MA | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Dharmadatta Community | Peekskill, NY | Damcho and Karya's project on earth awareness practices | $25,000 |
| Inquiring Systems Inc | Santa Rosa, CA | Mindful of Nature Fund | $25,000 |
| Inquiring Systems Inc | Santa Rosa, CA | Work that Reconnects Network | $25,000 |
| Lotus Institute Inc | Pataskala, OH | Integrating earth awareness practices into new and existing programs | $25,000 |
| Mindful Living Revolution | Los Angeles, CA | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Mindful Living Revolution | Los Angeles, CA | Hurricane Relief | $25,000 |
| Mountain Cloud Zen Center Inc | Santa Fe, NM | 2024 Indigenous Mindfulness Coalition retreat | $25,000 |
| Natural Dharma Fellowship | Springfield, NH | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center | Niwot, CO | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Saranaloka Foundation | San Rafael, CA | the work led by Ayya Santacitta at the Aloka Earth room | $25,000 |
| Shambhala USA | Camden, CT | Touching the Earth's Hivemind Eco Assembly Project | $25,000 |
| Upaya Zen Center Inc | Santa Fe, NM | reviewing, indexing and cataloging teachings on eco-dharma in the vast Upaya audio and video archives | $25,000 |
| Upaya Zen Center Inc | Santa Fe, NM | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Zen Peacemakers Inc | Sunderland, MA | program offerings focused on climate, environment, and Earth care | $25,000 |
| Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Inc | Barre, MA | September, 2024 ecodharma retreat | $22,000 |
| Boundless in Motion | Boulder, CO | Indigenous Women's Retreat at Rocky Mountain Ecodharma retreat center | $15,000 |
| Dharma Gates Inc | Brooklyn, NY | an eight-week online series "How to Love In A Damaged World" | $15,000 |
| Insight Meditation Center of the Mid-Peninsula | Redwood City, CA | a BIPOC retreat at Big Springs | $15,000 |
| Durango Sangha | Durango, CO | establishing a new practice group that will gather in nature, on the land, particularly in the Durango community and surrounding areas | $12,500 |
| Braided Wisdom Inc | San Francisco, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology | Eugene, OR | Great Vow Wildland Firefighter Mindfulness Retreat | $10,000 |
| Fractured Atlas Inc | Hartsdale, NY | Triptych Journey | $10,000 |
| Inquiring Systems Inc | Santa Rosa, CA | One Earth Sangha - website for Earth Awareness Community retreat program | $10,000 |
| Insight Meditation Community of Western Massachuse | Easthampton, MA | Rebecca Bradshaw's retreat "Down to Earth Dharma: healing our relationship with ourselves and the Earth" | $10,000 |
| Interdependence Project | Brooklyn, NY | a year long ecodharma project with 6 outdoor events | $10,000 |
| Myriad USA Inc | New York, NY | the Wellbeing Project | $10,000 |
| Northwest Zen Sangha | Portland, OR | coordinating across Buddhist sanghas for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to temple buildings and offerings events that… | $10,000 |
| San Francisco Zen Center | San Francisco, CA | Tassajara Wildland Firefighter Retreat | $10,000 |
| Sky Mind Retreats | Moab, UT | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Sounds True Foundation | Lafayette, CO | "We Are The Great Turning" podcast | $10,000 |
| Spirit Rock Meditation Center | Woodacre, CA | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Tergar International | Minneapolis, MN | integrating ecodharma into programming | $10,000 |
| Tricycle Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 2024 Buddhism and Ecology Gathering | $10,000 |
| Vallecitos Mountain Refuge | Durango, CO | General & Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Saranaloka Foundation | San Rafael, CA | translation of Fang einfach an! to English | $6,000 |
| Genx Buddhist Teachers Sangha | Boston, MA | a plenary session to explore the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss on GenX Buddhist teachers, as well as on students with a… | $5,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,348,832 | 52 |
| 2023 | $1,348,749 | 36 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 17, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202523219349107562
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 27-0284495
- Profile updated Nov 5, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.