Vipassana Community Foundation

TO PROMOTE THE PRACTICE AND TRADITION OF VIPASSANA MEDITATION.

2021 WAS A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR MANY CENTERS GIVEN THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RUN COURSES (OR ONLY LIMITED COURSES) DURING THE PANDEMIC. TO BE OF SUPPORT, VCF PROVIDED GENERAL COVID-RELIEF GRANTS TO FIVE CENTERS IN THE U.S. AND TWO IN CANADA, OUT OF OUR COVID FUND. TWO GRANTS WERE FOR $50,000 AND FIVE WERE FOR $16,000.IN 2021 VCF CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF CENTER EXPANSION AROUND THE WORLD WITH VARIOUS GRANTS TO CENTERS IN CANADA, LATIN AMERICA, ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. THE SECTION BELOW PROVIDES HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF OUR MAJOR PROGRAMMATIC GRANTS INTERNATIONALLY (LISTED OUT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER).GRANT TO ASOCIACION VIPASSANA DE MEXICO FOR BOTH COVID RELIEF AND TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS AT DHAMMA MAKARANDA MEDITATION CENTER: AS OF THE BEGINNING OF 2021, DHAMMA MAKARANDA CONTINUED TO BE CLOSED DUE TO COVID. THUS, IN JANUARY 2021, A $60,000 GRANT WAS AWARDED TO THE ASSOCIATION. $15,000 WENT TO COVER OPERATIONAL COSTS FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. THE REMAINING $45,000 WENT TOWARDS A VARIETY OF CONSTRUCTION, REPAIRS AND UPGRADES SUCH AS ELECTRICAL OUTPUT REPLACEMENT AND REPARATION OF THE GENERATOR, AIR EXTRACTOR FOR THE MEDITATION HALL, BATHROOM ROOF REPLACEMENT, AND LIGHTING FOR BUILDING EXTERIORS.GRANT TO ASSOCIACAO FUNDACION VIPASSANA COLOMBIA TO SUPPORT THE FINAL PAYMENT FOR LAND PURCHASE AND TITLE OF THE DHAMMA NANDANAVANA MEDITATION CENTER: DUE TO COVID, COURSES DURING 2021 WERE VERY SMALL (17 INCLUDING VOLUNTEERS). THUS, THE MONTHLY AVERAGE DANA WAS ABOUT THE SAME AS THE MONTHLY EXPENSES, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO SAVE OR TO CARRY OUT OTHER PROJECTS. THUS, IN MAY 2021 VCF AWARDED A GRANT OF $22,000 TO ASSIST THE FOUNDATION TO MAKE THE FINAL PAYMENT ON THE PURCHASE OF THE DHAMMA NANDANAVANA'S PROPERTY AND TO COVER EXPENSES FOR OBTAINING THE TITLE.GRANT TO ASOCIACION VIPASSANA DE MEXICO TO DEVELOP THE PROJECT PLAN FOR A SECOND DORMITORY FOR MALE STUDENTS AND TO START THE CONSTRUCTION OF ITS BATHHOUSE: IN AUGUST 2021, A $27,500 GRANT WAS AWARDED TO THE ASSOCIATION FOR THIS PURPOSE.GRANT TO ASSOCIACAO VIPASSANA DO BRASIL LOCATED IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, TO SUPPORT CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR EXPANDING AND IMPROVING THE DHAMMA SANTI MEDITATION CENTER FACILITIES: SINCE THE PANDEMIC STARTED, THE CENTER HAS BEEN KEPT UP AND RUNNING BY PULLING RESOURCES FROM ITS CONSTRUCTION FUND. IN SEPTEMBER 2021, A GRANT OF $100,000 WAS AWARDED TO THE ASSOCIATION LOCATED IN RIO DE JANEIRO TO CARRY OUT BUILDING PROJECTS SUCH AS UPGRADING THE ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE, BUILDING MALE PRIVATE ROOMS WITH BATHROOMS, RENOVATING SHARED FEMALE BATHROOM AND BUILDING NEW ACCOMMODATION FOR FEMALE VOLUNTEERS.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS (DAFS) CONTINUE TO BE AN ACTIVE OPTION FOR LARGER DONORS WHO WISH TO PROVIDE MORE DIRECTED AND/OR ANONYMOUS GIVING IN THE UNITED STATES. IN 2021 THERE WERE SIX SUCH ACTIVE FUNDS THAT MADE SOME DONATIONS TO CENTERS IN THE U.S., EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST AS WELL AS SUPPORTED VCF'S COVID FUND AND ADMIN FUND. ONE OF THE LARGEST GRANTS WAS MADE TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN VIPASSANA ASSOCIATION FOR DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE DHAMMA SELA MEDITATION CENTER. IN MAY 2021, VCF AWARDED A $588,000 GRANT TO RMVA TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING THE PROPERTY THAT WAS PURCHASED IN 2017 ALSO WITH A VCF GRANT. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THIS GRANT WILL HELP DEVELOP POTABLE AND FIRE SUPPRESSION WATER SYSTEMS, BUILDING THE FIRST OF THREE SEPTIC SYSTEMS, BRINGING ELECTRICITY TO THE FIRST MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE.