Education and Preservation Fund

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The Education and Preservation Fund supports Dharma study and contributes to the development of Buddhist education programs, scholarships for study, and the preservation of the Dharma through the publication of Dharma practice materials and translations.

The fund also supports the publishing of the vast archive of Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teachings; the development of the Rinpoche Available Now project; and contributing to important initiatives that preserve the Dharma and the Mahayana tradition as identified by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

[I would like] the organization to provide scholarships for students to study. Buddhist philosophy based on the lam-rim and lojong: academic studies with practice experience. We need teachers who are not just teaching from texts, but teaching from some experience, then there is so much more benefit. By teaching from one’s experience it brings deeper benefit. Then there is change and transformation of the mind.

—Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Areas of Support

Below, you’ll find information about the work of the Education and Preservation Fund, including scholarship support and translation efforts, as well as ways you can help advance these important initiatives.

Education and PreservationTranslationsScholarship
Lama Zopa Rinpoche with about two dozen students from Basic Program and Master Program in Italy.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche with students from FPMT Basic Program and FPMT Masters Program in Italy.

The Education and Preservation Fund

Qualified teachers and practitioners are essential to the successful transmission of the Dharma around the world. FPMT Education Services has developed a wide range of education programs to meet the needs of every student, and continues to develop new programs that preserve the lineage and educate the next generation.

Since 2010, the Education and Preservation Fund has distributed nearly $1.5 million to preserve the Buddhist teachings, develop study programs, translate texts, and support Dharma centers and projects worldwide. Here is what that support has made possible.

Developing Education Programs

The fund has supported the creation and delivery of FPMT study programs, including:

  • Online learning, livestreaming equipment, and teaching archives that make teachings available to students anywhere
  • The Light of the Path retreats and related events, including travel and lodging for teachers and translators
  • New program development, including the Buddhist Mind Science program and an ethics-based education mapping project
  • Teacher training, such as a Teacher Development Service Seminar at Maitripa College in 2025

Before 2010, the Education and Preservation Fund helped create the core study programs that FPMT centers around the world still rely on today, including:

Preserving the Dharma for Future Generations

The fund has supported landmark publishing, including grants to Wisdom Publications for the English translation of a commentary on Lama Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim Chen Mo. Smaller grants have supported the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive and Maitripa College.

 Compassion and Wisdom in the Wider World

The fund has given grants to the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom for its Essential Education project and ongoing work bringing ethics-based education into schools and communities.

It has supported the Mind Science Academy in Italy, which explores the meeting point between Buddhist thought and modern science.

Grants to Liberation Prison Project groups in the USA, Australia, the UK, France, Italy, and New Zealand have paid for Dharma books and materials, Mandala magazine subscriptions, postage, and printing for people in prison.

Translating the Teachings

The fund has supported translation and printing work that brings the teachings to new readers, often in languages where few Buddhist texts are available. This includes:

  • Printing a two-volume Tibetan text in India
  • Translations into Bengali and Hindi of works by Nalanda masters, including Kamalashila, Nagarjuna, and Ashvaghosha, many through Visva-Bharati University
  • Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand in Sinhalese, and a video on historic Mahayana sites in Sri Lanka
  • Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s The Six Perfections in Italian

 Every grant has been made possible by the generosity of donors who share the wish to keep these teachings alive and available to all. Thank you. Your support helps the fund continue this work for future generations.

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An image of the Sanghata Sutra text.

The Translation Fund

The Translation Fund supports the critical work of translating classic texts and sutras from the original Tibetan into English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Mongolian, and other languages. These translations support FPMT Masters Program and the FPMT Basic Program as well as providing essential practice materials that have been advised by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

These are the current translation projects that need support.

Previously sponsored translation work includes:

The following translations were commissioned by the FPMT with the generous support of benefactors:

If you would like to help sponsor the translation of precious texts, click the donate button below to make a donation to the Translation Fund.

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Start of term of the FPMT Masters Program at ILTK

The Education Scholarship Fund

  • The Education Scholarship Fund helps make FPMT’s in-depth Dharma education accessible to more students by providing scholarships and other financial support within FPMT education programs. Working in partnership with FPMT centers, the fund responds to identified needs and supports students and teaching assistants participating in programs such as the FPMT  Basic Program and FPMT Masters Program.
  • Lama Zopa Rinpoche emphasized supporting students in the study of Buddhist philosophy through lamrim and lojong, academic study, and practical experience. He envisioned developing teachers whose understanding is grounded not only in Buddhist texts but also in practice, leading to deeper transformation and the ability to share the Dharma from their own experience.
  • To help realize this vision, the Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to students, teaching assistants, and tutors, helping create the conditions for the Dharma to be deeply studied, practiced, and transmitted to future generations.
  • Over the years, the Education Scholarship Fund has provided scholarship support to students and staff at:
  • Maitripa College in the United States
  • Lama Tzong Khapa Institute (ILTK) in Italy
  • Nalanda Monastery in France
  • The opportunity to receive a Dharma education is precious. Your donation to the Education Scholarship Fund can help make this opportunity possible for students who need financial assistance to pursue their studies.

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Annual Grant of Education and Preservation Fund Updates for Rejoicing

Below are annual news reports of the grant making activities for the Education & Preservation Fund, with details and photos for rejoicing.

Grants offered in 2025

Ven. Tenzin Lekdron with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who granted His blessings for the “Five Prominent Historical Mahayana Buddhist Sites in Sri Lanka” documentary project, Dharamsala, India, December 2024.

In 2025, the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund continued its mission to safeguard and share the profound teachings of the Mahayana tradition by awarding a total of US$13,300 in grants. These contributions supported a diverse range of projects – from translation and publication efforts to teacher development and multimedia initiatives – each aligned with Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s vision of making the Dharma accessible, inclusive, and transformative across cultures and generations. Read about this year’s grants »

Grants offered in 2024

Prof. Sanjib Kumar Das (third from the left) and his team in 2024.

In 2024, the Education and Preservation Fund supported three key translation projects aimed at making Buddhist teachings more accessible across linguistic and cultural boundaries. These projects included Bengali and English translations; Bengali translation of Mahayana Sutras and Philosophical Treatise; and a Sinhala translation of “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” by Pabongka Rinpoche. Read more »

Grants offered in 2023

FPMT Masters Program at Nalanda Monastery, France, led by Geshe Lobsang Jamphel.

In 2023, an incredible US$173,156 was disbursed in grants from the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund to promote the development of Buddhist education programs and the preservation of the Dharma through the publication of Buddhist practice materials and translations. We invite you to read some of the activities supported this year below and rejoice!

One of the activities includes US$4,607 in grants provided for translation projects of Dharma texts from Tibetan into Bengali and Hindu, to the Indo-Tibetan Translation Team at Visva-Bharati University of West Bengal, India. West Bengal was the birthplace of great masters such as Shantideva, Lama Atisha, and Shantarakshita, and the intention for the translation projects was to aid in the revival of Mahayana Buddhism in the region. One of the translations sponsored was the Bengali translation and editing of Bhavanakrama by Kamalashila. Read more »

Grants offered in 2022

Students of Visva-Bharati University, Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies, proudly displaying Bengali translation of the Heart Sutra.

In 2022, US$121,634 in grants from the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund were provided to activities promoting the dialogue between Buddhist teachings and modern education and sciences, as well as translations of Dharma texts from Tibetan into Hindi and Bengali. We invite you to read some of the activities supported this year below and rejoice! 

The Mind Science Academy was created by Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa (ILTK) in Pomaia, Italy, after a 2014 request by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness wished for the Institute to create a program that helps bridge the Buddhist Mind sciences into modern secular education. US$45,665 in grants were awarded to the academy to help support their activities in 2022. Read more »

Education and Preservation Fund News & Updates


Education and Preservation Fund Grants Offered in 2025

Charitable Activities | November 12, 2025 -
In 2025, the FPMT Education and Preservation Fund continued its mission to safeguard and share the profound teachings of the Mahayana tradition by awarding a total of US$13,300 in grants. These contributions supported a diverse range of projects – from … Read more »

Offer Your Compassionate Support

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The Education and Preservation Fund is a project of FPMT Inc. and is administered by FPMT International Office located in Portland, Oregon, United States. All donations made to this fund are tax-deductible within the United States in accordance with IRS Code article 501(c)(3) to the extent allowed by law.

For questions about the Education and Preservation Fund projects, please contact the Charitable Projects Director.

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