Financial Assistance and Scholarship Information
Dana (the Pali word for generosity) has played an essential role in the 2,600 year-old Buddhist tradition. In the spirit of this tradition, Spirit Rock Meditation Center is committed to offering financial assistance to those who need it. Spirit Rock does not want cost to be an obstacle for participation in our residential retreats. If you cannot attend a retreat due to cost, we strongly encourage you to apply for financial assistance. Because Spirit Rock highly values diversity, we particularly encourage those who require financial assistance that are in the following groups to apply: black, indigenous and/or people of color (BIPOC), young adults (18-26), elders (65+) with limited/fixed incomes, and those with life threatening illnesses; however, anyone with financial hardship is encouraged to apply.
Each financial assistance request is assessed in terms of financial need and funds availability. Each individual may be awarded scholarships or young adult rates for a maximum of two retreats per calendar year. A request for scholarship funding does not influence your acceptance into a retreat.
How to apply for assistance
Scholarship funds are budgetted on a per retreat basis; this means that funding is limited per retreat. If funds are not available for one retreat, it does not mean funds are not available for another retreat. You should select a few retreat options. We recommend candidates apply as early as possible to improve your chances of receiving a scholarship (except for lottery retreats - these retreats have a slightly different system of allocations).
How to apply: 1) Choose the retreat you are interested in; 2) Go to the online registration link on the calendar webpage and locate the retreat. If scholarship funding is available, there should be options listed. If we are out of funding, it will be listed as "sold out". Some retreats do not have scholarship rates due to already reduced pricing for all attendees. You may want to select another retreat that may still having funding available; 3) If you can only attend a particular retreat due to scheduling and you need scholarship funding, we can put you on a scholarship waiting list. Contact us if you have any questions about this or if you cannot attend a retreat without scholarship assistance, email us: registration@spiritrock.org.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OPTIONS
Spirit Rock Meditation Center offers a variety of types of financial support for residential retreats.
Mudita Scholarships
The Mudita Scholarship provides a means for any individual who requires financial assistance to attend a retreat. Elders (65+) on fixed incomes, or young adults who have 'aged out' of the Young Adult rate, would apply for this scholarship.
Karuna Scholarships
The Karuna Scholarship is specifically for individuals with serious medical conditions, or life-threatening illnesses who require financial assistance to attend a retreat.
Dr. Marlene Jones People of Color Scholarships
This BIPOC Scholarship is specifically for individuals who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Color (BIPOC) who require financial assistance to attend a retreat.
Toni Ko Scholarships
The Toni Ko Scholarship is specifically for individuals who are new to meditation residential retreats and age 27-55 years with a need for financial assistance. The individual must be attending their first silent 6-night residential retreat at Spirit Rock. This scholarship is a one-time award.
Young Adult Rate
It is our wish to support the practice needs of meditators in early adulthood. To this end, Spirit Rock extends a special invitation to young adults, age 18-26 years, who wish to attend a residential retreat. The number of young adult spaces available is limited per retreat and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please apply as early as possible. If all the Young Adult rates are sold out, you may apply for one of the above options that you may also align.
Renunciate Monastics
Monastics in the Buddhist traditions are invited to attend Spirit Rock retreats without cost. We ask that you register in advance to secure a space in the retreat. Monastic discounts can be extended only to one having taken vows and abiding as a renunciate, living exclusively on donations and having no form of income through work or other sources. You will need to provide the monastery you are affiliated with upon registering. Contact the Retreats Registrar for more information.
Scholarships for Month-Long Retreats
Thanks to the generosity of our community, Spirit Rock is pleased to offer additional funding for 15 Young Adult spaces (combined for February and March). In addition, we have more than 20 scholarships in our Dr. Marlene Jones People of Color (POC) Scholarship Fund. These additional funds mean that more than 25% of our retreat population will be on scholarship.
Hemera Foundation Fellowships - SOLD OUT for 2024 retreats
With deep thanks to the Hemera Foundation, Spirit Rock has again been awarded a generous grant for 2023 in-person retreats.
The Hemera Contemplative Fellowship Program was created to make the unique benefits of sitting in a contemplative practice in a retreat context more widely available. Fellowships are available to anyone with a commitment of service — a deep desire to devote oneself to serving others through their work. Eligible applicants must be 18 years of age or older and working full-time in their profession. Learn more (and apply) here.
Payment Plan (For in-person retreats only)
If it would be financially helpful to pay for your retreat over a period of time, we do offer an installment option to ease the burden of paying a retreat fee all at once. A minimum deposit is due for all attendees and the balance must be paid in full prior to the start of the retreat. Payment plans can only be set up on a credit card. We can no longer debit your checking account unless you have access to a credit card. Your automatic deductions can be set for 2-3 monthly installments if time allows. However, all payments must be complete prior to the retreat start. Installments cannot be paid following retreat attendance.
A payment plan is available for Teacher Dana at the end of a retreat. Please contact the Development Department if you are considering this option. You may not have more than two (2) payment plans occurring at the same time. And, all registration fee payment plans need to be paid off prior to registering for another retreat.