This is the moment:
Wisdom when the world needs it most.
Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar through December 31, up to $200,000.
The world is ready for more understanding, deeper connection, and compassionate action. Wisdom guides us toward all three—and can be cultivated through practices that deepen attention, open us to different perspectives, and help us respond with care. And right now, as so many people long to feel connected, this is the moment to help that wisdom flourish, and to double the joy of your giving.
Longtime community members of Mind & Life are matching every gift dollar for dollar, up to $200,000. All gifts received now through December 31 count and will be matched while committed matching funds remain. Your joy goes twice as far, and so does the wisdom it supports.
Give and join us live. Every donor, at any gift amount, will receive a personal invitation to a live, one-hour conversation with David Creswell, host of the Mind & Life Podcast. Ask him anything, get a first look at the wisdom coming this season, and celebrate with others in the Mind & Life community. Every donor also receives the recording.
That wisdom is closer than we might think. Meaningful change in the world around us begins with transformation within. Turning inward isn’t turning away, it’s how we prepare to respond wisely. For nearly 40 years, Mind & Life has brought scientists and contemplatives together to understand these capacities, and found that they can be cultivated. Your own practice is part of that larger story.
That is real reason for hope. As Mind & Life enters its 40th year, your gift funds grants for emerging researchers, scholarships to the Summer Research Institute, and the 40th-anniversary Mind & Life Dialogue, and carries what we learn into classrooms, clinics, and communities.
The opportunity is here. Help wisdom grow when the world needs it most.
Give today: your gift is doubled, and you’re invited to join David Creswell live online.
Charitable gifts make up more than 90% of Mind & Life’s budget, so your support directly sustains this work. We’re independently audited every year. The Mind & Life Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 77-0284767. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
New in 2026: If you take the standard deduction, you may be able to deduct up to $1,000 in cash gifts ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly). Ask your tax advisor how this applies to you.
Other ways to give: a donor-advised fund, gifts of stock, or a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA if you are 70½ or older.
Mind & Life’s work has been unprecedented, especially in promoting a scientific understanding of the human mind through a unique combination of research and contemplative practice. It has brought about a fresh focus on interconnection and its programs give me hope for the future.
– His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Impact Stories
“Creating a sustainable future will take a paradigm shift in the human-nature relationship,” says researcher and Mind & Life grantee Constanza Baquedano.
Mind & Life PEACE grantees Carrie James, Emily Weinstein, and Sara Konrath aim leverage contemplative science to mitigate the risks of disconnection and isolation through technology.
“Political tolerance, or the willingness to put up with the opinions and behavior of others we dislike, is regularly called the oxygen of democracy,” says researcher and Mind & Life grantee Femke E. Bakker.
Ways to Give
Many paths, one purpose. Choose what fits you best.
Thank you for your interest in and support of Mind & Life’s work to better understand the mind and create positive change in the world. We invite you to consider having a lasting impact by making a multi-year commitment—ongoing support fuels the Mind & Life Institute’s mission and welcomes you into exclusive gatherings, retreats, and conversations with leading researchers and contemplatives. If interested, please complete this form and reach out to advancement@mindandlife.org.
In addition to online giving, you can support the Mind & Life Institute in the following ways:
Mail a Check:
Mind & Life Institute
977 Seminole Trail, PMB 363
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Attention: Advancement
Wire Transfer
Mind & Life Institute accepts large gifts by wire or by stock transfer. Please contact advancement@mindandlife.org for instructions.
Stock Transfer or Securities Donations
Stocks, bonds and mutual funds can be donated to the Mind & Life Institute. The full current market value of the securities at the time of the donation can be written off as a tax deduction. Please contact advancement@mindandlife.org for instructions.
Give via Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)
Recommend a grant to: Mind & Life Institute (EIN 77-0284767).
Mailing address: 977 Seminole Trail, PMB 363, Charlottesville, VA 22901.
Please include your contact info so we can thank you properly.
Qualified Charitable Gifts from an IRA
For individuals age 70½ and older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows you to direct up to $108,000 per year ($216,000 for couples) from an IRA to a qualified nonprofit. If you’re required to take a minimum distribution (beginning at age 73), this approach can help satisfy that requirement while potentially reducing taxable income. Advance planning with your financial institution is encouraged so the gift is completed in time for the coming tax year.
Endowment in Honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Guided by His Holiness’s vision, the Mind & Life Endowment exists to safeguard what he began: a global conversation uniting scientific inquiry with the wisdom of the human heart. Each contribution to the Endowment helps ensure that dialogue and discovery remain at the heart of Mind & Life for decades to come. Your gift becomes part of a continuum—linking compassion, understanding, and future generations. To explore ways to contribute, please contact advancement@mindandlife.org.
Planned Giving
Create a legacy for a cause that’s been important in your life. Including Mind & Life in your will or as a beneficiary can sustain contemplative science and practice for generations. Many supporters tell us they want their legacy to support a cause that’s been important in their life—we can help you shape that impact. Making a planned gift through a charitable bequest in your will or living trust is an outstanding way to combine your desire to support our mission and your overall financial, tax, and estate planning goals.
Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes. If you have a taxable estate, the estate tax charitable deduction may offset or eliminate estate taxes, resulting in a larger inheritance for your heirs. See sample bequest language here.
Curious, but not ready to decide? Let’s talk—no solicitations on this call. (434) 939-0001 | advancement@mindandlife.org.
It is Mind & Life’s policy to allocate up to 15% of restricted gifts and grants received to cover administrative costs of operating the organization, unless otherwise restricted by the donor.
Annual Reports
Learn more about what donations have made possible in recent years:
Reports
Audits
2024/2025 Financial Statement Audit
2023/2024 Financial Statement Audit
2022/2023 Financial Statement Audit
2021/2022 Financial Statement Audit
2020/2021 Financial Statement Audit
2019/2020 Financial Statement Audit
