Help us foster healthy human connections
The Mind & Life Institute pursues its mission thanks to the charitable contributions of individuals, foundations, and sponsors. Charitable contributions are the source of more than 90% of Mind & Life’s budget. As careful stewards of the funds entrusted to the Institute, Mind & Life undergoes a third-party audit every year and complies with all regulations governing non-profits in the United States. The Mind & Life Institute is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS tax code, EIN #77-0284767.
For nearly four decades, the Mind & Life Institute has illuminated the power of the human mind to transform lives and shape a more compassionate world. Today, we continue that legacy by leveraging scientific research, contemplative wisdom, and systems thinking to address some of humanity’s most urgent challenges—from climate change and polarization, to the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Your support fuels this vital work. Through grantmaking, convenings, and public engagement, we bring together researchers, contemplatives, and changemakers to deepen understanding of the mind and catalyze real-world impact. When you give to Mind & Life, you:
- Fuel new discoveries through bridging science and contemplative wisdom to address our most urgent challenges.
- Support emerging researchers through grants, convening, and digital offerings that catalyze innovative solutions.
- Expand access to key insights and knowledge through developing public resources like the Mind & Life Digital Library and courses, ensuring that wisdom born of decades of dialogue continues to inspire and inform.
- Foster global connection and community through events and collaborative platforms that unite researchers, contemplatives, and changemakers in the service of societal and planetary well-being.
Together, we can advance a future grounded in compassion and collective action. Join us.
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
Focus Areas
Our current strategy prioritizes the following focus areas with significant implications for humanity’s future and the well-being of our planet.
AI & Technology
We are convening scientists, contemplative practitioners, ethicists, and technologists to shape the future of AI in alignment with human flourishing and ethical responsibility.
Interconnectedness & Climate Change
We are funding and elevating research on the role of contemplative practices in cultivating a felt sense of interconnection—and in helping people respond constructively to the climate crisis.
Polarization
We are advancing scientific understanding of polarization at the level of the mind and body with the aim of fostering reconciliation and collective healing in a fractured world.
Systems Change
We are strengthening the contemplative research field’s capacity for systemic impact—through better impact measurement, implementation science, and policy translation.
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
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.
Planned Giving
One way to make a lasting gift is to include the Mind & Life Institute in your will or trust, or to name the Mind & Life Institute as a beneficiary in your retirement or life insurance policy.
Making a planned gift to Mind & Life 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.
For more information about making a planned gift please contact us at (434)338-7380 or at advancement@mindandlife.org.
Annual Reports
Learn more about what donations have made possible in recent years:
Reports
Audits
2022/2023 Financial Statement Audit
2021/2022 Financial Statement Audit
2020/2021 Financial Statement Audit
2019/2020 Financial Statement Audit
IRS Form 990
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