Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center

PO Box 4051
Durango, CO 81302
Website:  vallecitos.org

Description of Organization

Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center is a wilderness meditation and retreat center which concentrates its programs on the power of awareness and mindfulness. Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center offers opportunities to go to the deep woods, unplug and re-connect with the natural world. Their retreats and training offer practical tools and skills for personal growth and transformation and professional development. The programs are rooted in the teachings of the Buddha in the Theravada tradition. They offer a mix of dharma-based retreats as well as secular retreats containing a variety of offerings for the general population and retreats specifically for targeted groups such as Educators, Mental Health Professionals, Women, and People of Color.

The organization has a deep commitment to inclusion and welcoming of all groups regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status, orientation or financial ability. To assist those without financial means, Vallecitos offers a sliding scale fee structure to allow retreatants to pay according to their means.

Grant(s) Awarded

In 2021, Vallecitos received a COVID-19 Operational Grant for $5,000 in order to:

  • Continue offering reduced scholarship rates for their online offerings
  • Support teachers for their work and ensure they are compensated for their work
  • Support staff with lost compensation and/or ensuring compensation to help with new tasks of establishing updated protocols for safely welcoming guests in the future.
  • Support the organization with expenses from items needed to support new protocols

The Covid Impact:  As a meditation retreat center, Vallecitos had to cancel all of their onsite offerings for 2020, which accounted for 80% of their income. Vallecitos expects similar losses in 2021 .

In 2018,  a grant in the amount of $5,000 was awarded to support needs-based fellowships for participants in their 2019 People of Color Fellowships who would not otherwise be able to attend a retreat.

In 2017, a grant in the amount of $7,500 was awarded to provide needs-based fellowships for participants in their 2018 People of Color Fellowships who would not otherwise be able to attend a retreat.

In 2016, a grant in the amount of $10,000 was awarded to provide needs-based support for participants in the People of Color retreats who require financial assistance.