Donations

Our vision is to eventually have an endowment that will fund fellowships and trainings over the long term in a sustainable way. Significant funding will be needed to make this initiative possible, and our first step is to launch a successful first cohort of fellows. With our Phase One fundraising campaign we aim to raise $500,000 by Spring 2022 to launch the Black Buddhist Teachers Fellowship Program.  

This first phase will fund an initial cohort of Black Buddhist Teacher Fellows, supporting individual fellowships for 15 Black Buddhist teachers for a duration of one year beginning in 2022. The fellowship offers structured support in the form of trauma resilience trainings by highly experienced trainers, wellness resources, facilitated monthly cohort dialogues, and more. The fellows will also be supported in teaching-related expenses and health care, which was voiced as the top concern in our survey of Black Buddhist teachers.

90% of your contribution will directly support this fellowship program—the trainings (including all associated travel, lodging, and food costs for the fellows), and the fellowship stipends.

The DR2 board also recognizes that we ourselves as board members are not exempt from trauma.  Healing from trauma internally enables us to better do our work externally to support Black Buddhist teachers. Thus, 10% of Phase One funding will support the steps required to do so, as well as a part-time administrator to coordinate the Fellowship program.

Future phases of the DR2 initiative will consist of expanding the fellowship program to include many future cohorts of Black Buddhist teachers, creating an endowment so we can sustainably fund the DR2 project, and providing training in racial awareness, equity, and inclusion to non-Black Dharma teachers in order for Dharma centers and temples to provide truly welcoming spaces for everyone.

We are grateful to the funding agencies, sponsors, and individuals listed at the end of the page. Click here to see our list.

Sponsors

 Organizations that fiscally support the project

Gold (donated $50,000+)

Silver (donated $5,000-$49,999)

Lapis Lazuli (donated $1-$4,999)

Open Door Zen Community

Sravasti Abbey

Tallahassee Chan Center, DDM

The Jacky Winter Group

Partners

Buddhist centers and organizations involved in outreach and participate in programs

Benefactors

Media and other in-kind support

Bodhisattvas

Individuals who financially support at any level

Gold (donated $1,000+)

Silver (donated $500-$999)

Lapis Lazuli (donated $0-$499)

The DR2 Board is actively planning the Black Buddhist Teachers Fellowship program and will soon begin creating antiracism programs for non-Black teachers. A detailed description of the fellowship for Black Buddhist teachers will be forthcoming soon, with information on programs for non-Black teachers to follow as well. If you are interested in potentially applying for a DR2 fellowship or program, please click this link and join our mailing list.

First Phase: Black Buddhist Teacher Fellowships

Second Phase: Support of Anti-Racism Training for non-Black Teachers

In the first phase of the DR2 initiative, we encourage Black Dharma teachers to apply for a “Dharma Relief Fellowship of Racial Healing.” This fellowship is application-based and includes both wellness support and trauma resiliency training. The program’s efficacy will be measured through pre- and post-surveys. We envision that those who take part in the Dharma Relief Fellowship will become part of an ever-widening network committed to strengthening the diversity and equity of the Buddhist landscape in the US and to ongoing anti-racism efforts.