Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc

The information for Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc is as of the organization's most recent filing in December '21. This organization is located in Tomales, CA. It has been in existence for 54 years, following its founding in 1967.

Organization Classification

The IRS classifies organizations according to the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) system. The NTEE system helps the IRS assign a 3-character code to each organization to describe the organization's activities.

The Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc's NTEE code is P54. The "P" tells us that the organization is classified along with Human Services. The "54" does not provide any specific information about the organization's classification. The NTEE description and minor classification are null, meaning there is no available information about the organization's specific classification. The organization is governed by section code 3, which indicates that it falls under the category of Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations. The mission of the Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc is to change lives and build a better world by publishing Sri Eknath Easwaran's timeless words, teaching his eight-point program of passage meditation, preserving his legacy, and maintaining a spiritual community dedicated to the daily practice of passage meditation.

Program Areas

Program Area 1: Within the general fund, the organization engages in the publication and sale of books, audio and video recordings of Eknath Easwaran's spiritual talks. Additionally, they publish a free journal for spiritual living to provide inspiration and hope to readers. They also offer free resources on their website to support a meditation practice and provide inspiration. Furthermore, they maintain a complete archive of Eknath Easwaran's written and recorded teachings. It is important to note that the meditation method they promote, known as Passage Meditation, is non-denominational and non-sectarian, allowing individuals to practice within their own cultural, religious, or non-religious background.

Program Area 2: Provided online retreats that included recorded talks by Easwaran, meditation sessions, and group workshops aimed at expanding one's understanding of passage meditation and its application to daily life. Offered a sliding scale fee structure and scholarships to make the meditation retreats accessible to all. Held free weekly public fellowship webinars for inspiration and provided a free monthly videotaped talk subscription. Additionally, provided free access to the Easwaran digital library of video and audio talks for leading the spiritual life in the home and community, as well as free online instructions and resources for learning passage meditation.

Program Area 3: The organization maintained a spiritual community in order to demonstrate Eknath Easwaran's Eight Point Program and preserve the purity of these teachings and his legacy.

Organization Staffing

Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc has 22 employees, none of whom were paid more than $100k according to the organization's most recent 990 tax filing. Supporting the paid staff are 18 volunteers.

Board Governance

The Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc appears to be well-governed based on the information provided. The organization has a total of 11 voting members, which suggests a diverse range of perspectives and input in decision-making processes. Additionally, the presence of one independent member indicates that there is an objective voice within the organization. The organization acknowledges the potential for conflicts of interest, which is a positive sign of transparency and accountability. By requiring disclosure of conflicts and having a conflict of interest policy in place, the organization demonstrates a commitment to addressing and managing such conflicts appropriately. Furthermore, the organization has implemented several important policies and practices that contribute to effective governance. The existence of a written whistleblower policy, document retention policy, and the substantiation and review of leadership and officer's salaries indicate a commitment to ethical conduct and financial transparency. While it is noted that board meetings are documented, the absence of documentation for committee meetings could be an area for improvement. Documenting committee meetings would provide a more comprehensive record of decision-making processes and ensure transparency at all levels of the organization. Overall, the Blue Mountain Center Of Meditation Inc appears to have a strong governance structure in place, with policies and practices that promote transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct.

Organization Growth

The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation Inc has experienced growth in its contributions and grants received, investment income, other revenue, total revenue, and employee salaries over the given time period. Contributions and grants received increased from $762.9K in 2015 to $1.2M in 2021, while investment income increased from $30.9K in 2015 to $68.0K in 2021. Other revenue also saw an increase from $336.5K in 2015 to $493.7K in 2021. Additionally, total revenue grew from $1.4M in 2015 to $1.9M in 2021, indicating overall growth for the organization. However, there were some areas of decline, such as program service revenue, which decreased from $263.0K in 2015 to $112.0K in 2021. The total number of employees and volunteers also decreased during this time period, with 29 employees and 31 volunteers in 2015 compared to 22 employees and 18 volunteers in 2021. Overall, the organization has shown growth in terms of financial metrics, but a decline in terms of human resources.