Welcome to the Tibetan Nuns Project!

“A donation to this cause benefits beyond helping just the nuns… it benefits the Tibetan culture, it benefits refugees from Tibet, it benefits education for women, it benefits the Buddhist religion and community and all of this spreads like a ripple of compassion for others beyond that community. This is not charity; it is an investment in humanity.” Elen B., donor

The Tibetan Nuns Project is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1987. Our mission is:

• To educate and empower nuns of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as teachers and leaders; and
• To establish, strengthen, and support educational institutions to sustain Tibetan religion and culture.

In 1987, many nuns began escaping from Tibet in search of religious and educational freedom. The majority of the nuns were destitute and illiterate, and they arrived in a refugee community already struggling to survive. These dedicated women wanted to live, study, practice, and teach in accordance with their spiritual beliefs.

Traditionally, Buddhist nuns have not had the same access to education as monks. The Tibetan Nuns Project aims to elevate the educational standards and the position of women. We created a groundbreaking education system aimed at both preserving Tibetan culture and empowering the nuns to live and become leaders in the modern world.

Currently, the Tibetan Nuns Project supports over 800 nuns and seven nunneries in northern India from all Tibetan Buddhist traditions, as well as nuns living on their own and in retreat.

Our efforts also include nuns and nunneries following the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in Buddhist communities within the Himalayan region of India such as Kinnaur, Spiti, Ladakh, and Zanskar.

To help you can:

1. Make a gift online – see below.
2. Sponsor a nun for just $1 a day.
3. Shop in our online store.
4. Call our office in Seattle, US at 1-206-652-8901
5. Mail a check to: The Tibetan Nuns Project, 815 Seattle Boulevard South #418, Seattle, WA 98134 USA
6. Donate securities.
7. Leave a legacy gift to the Tibetan Nuns Project.

Donate

By supporting the Tibetan Nuns Project, you are giving hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist nuns in India the opportunity to practice their religion in a safe and empowering environment, at a time when the Tibetan culture and religion is severely under threat. You are opening doors for these dedicated women through education so that they can, for the first time in the history of Tibet, stand alongside men as equals and as teachers and leaders.

Over 35 Years of Accomplishments

Thanks to our global family of supporters, the Tibetan Nuns Project has:

• Created a ground-breaking educational program for nuns;
• Built and established Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute, a non-sectarian nunnery;
• Constructed and re-established Shugsep Nunnery and Institute in India;
• Established the annual inter-nunnery debate, the Jang Gonchoe;
• Laid the groundwork for higher degrees for nuns;
• Helped award the Geshema degree for the first time in the history of Tibet;
• Started an advanced education program in Tantric Studies for the Geshema graduates; and
• Created a sponsorship program to support over 800 nuns and 7 nunneries in India, providing the nuns with food, education, clothing, shelter, and health care.

Sponsor a nun today!

For less than $1 a day you can support a Tibetan Buddhist nun in India. Our sponsorship program is the heart of our work. Learn how you can sponsor a nun.