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From Tsadra Foundation Advanced Contemplative Scholarships
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My current retreat July 2022 - Dec 2025 has been funded entirely by Friends, Family and Sangha, many of whom are of limited means and have made considerable sacrifices to support me. Many are practitioners themselves and are not in a position to support me again. I will not burden such generous, kind-hearted people any further, making the Tsadra scholarship vital if I am to continue practicing at Gomde Pyreneese. +
I currently have thre sponsors who can help me cover daily living costs and health insurance each month, but they are not in a position to offer a considerable amount for the retreat itself. I do not have any family support as I come from a Christian family that does not support Buddhism at all. The little personal savings (around a thousand USD) I have will most likely only help me cover some of the extra retreat costs not included in the main price itself (such as toiletries, medicine, or extra food). However, I have spoken to Druppon Lama Lodro, and she said she would help me find more sponsors if needed. But as of this moment, I don't have any sponsors to help me with the retreat itself. +
Crowdfunding Initiative: My primary funding strategy involves a crowdfunding campaign in both English and Portuguese. As a symbolic exchange for donations, I will offer a Tibetan language course covering alphabet basics, recitation training, and common vocabulary. For more advanced students, I have compiled an extensive list of useful learning and translation resources. Since teaching Tibetan has been my main occupation for the past 2.5 years, I believe this will be an interesting and valuable addition to the crowdfunding campaign. I plan to promote this through social media and sangha networks.
Having recently received approval to join the retreat while completing my M.A. thesis, I have not yet launched this campaign and cannot predict the exact amount it will raise.
Personal and Family Resources: My family has indicated they could contribute 10-15% of the total retreat costs to help cover any remaining funding gaps after scholarship and crowdfunding efforts. Additionally, I have approximately $2,000 USD in emergency savings that could be accessed if necessary, though I would prefer to preserve this for post-retreat needs.
Funding Request: Given the extremely high costs relative to Brazil's socio-economic reality and our devalued currency against the Euro, and considering that I am just graduating without significant accumulated wealth, I am requesting scholarship support for 70% of the retreat costs (€25,900). Without having such a foundational guarantee, it might not be realistic to proceed with the retreat given the financial constraints. This scholarship would serve as the essential enabler that makes the retreat feasible, while I work to secure the remaining funds through crowdfunding and eventual family support. My goal is to minimize dependence on the scholarship through successful fundraising efforts, with any excess funds from crowdfunding being used to reduce the scholarship requirement, thereby allowing Tsadra Foundation resources to support additional practitioners.
I deeply appreciate your consideration of this application and the opportunity to pursue this transformative practice.
Personal Savings +
I just started a part time job at $27 an hour, and I have $2k savings I am putting towards the retreat cabins which have not yet been built, hence the total cost including a Retreat dome from Pacific Domes, as well. That will be partially paid for by me and the rest by my precious Guru. +
Family Support and Sponsors: 8,000 EUR
Personal Savings: 10,277 EUR (I will need to have at least 18,000EUR to show the French Government for the entire duration of the retreat in order to maintain a visa, so I am not planning to use this towards the cost of the retreat). +
Please see the section below on my financial position. It details my savings of about USD$80,000 and my overall picture. I am self-supporting. I have no sponsors at this time. +
Personal savings, family support. Will seek additional "crowdfunding" support from sangha in the coming months. +
N/A I am a Novice Monk +
I have savings of around 4000 dollars, as well as money in funds I will utilize. I also plan to work and save money, and reach out to family and friends I know would like to support, even with a small sum. With a contribution from the Tsadra foundation of 80% of the retreat cost, I am confident I can cover the rest myself. +
A
I just started a part time job at $27 an hour, and I have $2k savings I am putting towards the retreat cabins which have not yet been built, hence the total cost including a Retreat dome from Pacific Domes, as well. That will be partially paid for by me and the rest by my precious Guru. +
Approximately $3000 in savings; family support as needed +
My current retreat July 2022 - Dec 2025 has been funded entirely by Friends, Family and Sangha, many of whom are of limited means and have made considerable sacrifices to support me. Many are practitioners themselves and are not in a position to support me again. I will not burden such generous, kind-hearted people any further, making the Tsadra scholarship vital if I am to continue practicing at Gomde Pyreneese. +
Since I have been a full-time student for most of the last decade, I do not currently have a robust savings account. I also do not descend from a wealthy family and while they are supportive, they are not able to significantly contribute to this retreat. The reason I have waited until now to apply is in order to find paid work and calculate what I may be able to contribute from own side, as I am starting from zero. While 30,000 euros would cover most of the retreat expenses, I am relying on my own savings and the support of family and friends to cover the remaining costs as well as my personal expenses here in the US during that time, which include property taxes and insurance on a small retreat cabin in upstate CT. Additionally, one member of the sangha has pledged to offer me a monthly amount of 300 euros to cover health insurance, visas, and incidentals. Another has offered a small lump sum to help cover monthly bills in the U.S., and I am hoping to have some money saved from my side for offerings and post-retreat transition +
I have some personal savings which I am willing to spend if necessary, but as a monk I make very little money. My mother is willing to support me partially, but not fully. She will contribute up to four thousand dollars if a full sponsorship for my retreat is not available. +
Personal savings and sponsors from my Sangha in Belgium will help me to pay for my health assurance, the shrine items and the six first months of the retreat, if this cannot be covered by Tsadra. +
I will work during the months in between this three year retreat and the next one in order to pay for my extra costs (donations, health assurance etc.). +
B
hoping for family support and a few friend's, but not sure yet +
I was released from prison in 2017, and I don't have sources of financial support. I worked as a manager in a beach cafeteria/club these past three summers and have made enough money for yearly expenses and to cover travel costs when I go to meet the teacher. +
I have personal savings of about USD 15,000. My current monthly income is in the form of allowance of USD 1,400.
I do not have other means of financial support. +
