East Bay Meditation Center

East Bay Meditation Center

2147 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
Website: eastbaymeditation.org

Description of Organization

East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) is an independent center located in downtown Oakland. Founded in a celebration of diversity, EBMC welcomes everyone seeking to end suffering and cultivate happiness. Their mission is to foster liberation, personal and interpersonal healing, social action, and inclusive community building. They offer mindfulness practices and teachings on wisdom and compassion from Buddhist and other spiritual traditions.  EBMC operates on a generosity-based economic model, charging no registration fees for any of their programs. Those programs include meditation classes, daylong retreats, sitting groups, workshops, evening classes, and yearlong in-depth programs. They endeavor to provide a safe space for everyone, including individuals who daily confront the effects of oppression, racism, or homophobia and heterosexism in their lives, and who therefore may choose to initially avoid mixed programs

Grant(s) Awarded

In 2026, a grant of $5,800 was awarded in support of their Intergenerational Sangha Project that will revitalize the Family and Teen Sanghas, which offer regular mindfulness gatherings for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ families and youth. Through training in meditation, mindful movement, Dharma teachings, and identity-affirming community rituals, the program nurtures resilience, compassion, and spiritual growth across generations. Rooted in collective liberation, the project reflects EBMC’s commitment to accessible, culturally relevant, and community-led Buddhist practice.

In 2014, a grant in the amount of $1,000 was awarded to East Bay Meditation Center to support their Collaboration Grant. 

In 2012, a grant in the amount of $10,000 was awarded to East Bay Meditation Center to support their Blossoming Community Project, a project to support the growth of their programs into a larger facility. Due to the response to EBMC’s programs, they had outgrown the small storefront space originally rented in 2007.