Tricycle Foundation

89 Fifth Avenue, Suite 301
New York NY 10003-3020
Website: tricycle.org
Attn: James Shaheen Description of Organization

Description of Organization

Established in 1990, The Tricycle Foundation is dedicated to make Buddhist views, values, and practices broadly available. In 1991 the Foundation launched Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first magazine focused on presenting Buddhist perspectives to a Western readership. Tricycle soon became the leading journal of Buddhism in the West, where it continues to be the most inclusive and widely read vehicle for the dissemination of Buddhist perspectives.

Grant(s) Awarded

In 2020, a grant in the amount of $2,500 was awarded to support expenses for BuddhaFest, an online annual festival which lasted eight weeks and included films, talks, meditation and music.

In 2016, a grant in the amount of $25,000 was awarded to support the general operating expenses of the organization.

In 2015, a Pay It Forward, Recoverable grant in the amount of $100,000 was awarded to extend the donor- prospect pool, expand the subscription base and to build capacity for both earned and contributed revenue. The website was mobile-friendly and designed to improve readability and streamline site navigation. The grant was disbursed in three installments, but Tricycle chose not to request the 3rd grant installment. The final grant amount was $66,000. The Grant was paid back in full in September 2016 including a donation to the Lenz Foundation Technical Assistance Fund.

In 2012, a Women in Buddhism Grant was awarded to help in the research and dissemination of a new paper called “Working with Obstacles: Is Female Rebirth an Obstacle?”

In 2011, an emergency bridge loan demand note in the amount of $78,000 was awarded to prevent a shutdown of its operations.  The emergency loan was occasioned by the abrupt withdrawal of aformer board member who had pledged to cover any financial shortfall through the end of the fiscal year.  This loan was a precursor to the Pay it Forward Recoverable grant program. Tricycle’s need and the Foundation’s action inspired the program while helping this worthy publication at a critical time. 

In 2008, a grant in the amount of $100,000 was awarded to develop the Ning Project that enabled the magazine to launch an open-ended online social network where it posted “Tricycle Talks,” podcasts, videocasts, blogs, and other interactive features in various media formats. The object was to provide a uniquely independent public forum for exploring contemporary and traditional Buddhist ideas and their integration with Western disciplines and to provide an online home for Buddhists of different traditions.

In 2007, a matching grant in the amount of $30,000 was awarded to support the extension of the Change Your Mind Day Online Program and the online Meditation Kit/Prison Project. Both efforts expanded the two programs’ reach to disseminate the dharma to the general public and America’s difficult-to-reach prison population.

In 2007, a grant in the amount of $23,600 was awarded to support an expansion of the Web Development Project. The objective was to provide an independent, on-line forum–a public space for Buddhists of different traditions for the exploration of contemporary and traditional Buddhist ideas and their integration with Western disciplines and the broader American culture.

In 2005, a challenge grant in the amount of $100,000 was awarded to continue development and distribution of the Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kit for prisoners and other distinct populations such as hospital patients.  The goal was to relieve suffering.

In 2005, an additional grant in the amount of $75,000 was awarded to underwrite the Change Your Mind Day in 2006.

In 2005, an additional grant of $25,000 was awarded for the purchase of more Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kits for prisoners to meet increased demand.

In 2005, a grant in the amount of $75,000 was awarded to underwrite Change Your Mind Day, Tricycle’s free day of meditation instruction held in parks throughout the country on the first Saturday of June. Change Your Mind Day introduced thousands of people to Buddhist meditation.

In 2005, a grant in the amount of $15,000 was awarded to continue development and distribution of the Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kit for prisoners.

In 2004, a grant in the amount of $5,000 was awarded to support the “Change Your Mind Day Meditation Kit” project. The project originated when Tricycle was contacted by a group of women incarcerated in Danbury Federal Prison who wished to organize a Change Your Mind Day there.