What Lion's Roar does

Lion's Roar is a community-supported nonprofit media organization operating the leading Buddhist-inspired English-language magazine and its quarterly companion publication Buddhadharma: the Practitioner's Quarterly. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with supporting offices in San Francisco and Congers, New York, the organization distributes Buddhist teachings, meditation guidance, and mindfulness content to a global audience of practitioners and spiritually curious individuals.

Its underlying platform spans a flagship editorial website (lionsroar.com), a dedicated online learning portal (learn.lionsroar.com) for courses, summits, and workshops, an e-commerce store (store.lionsroar.com), iOS and Android mobile applications, the Lion's Roar podcast, and print subscriptions with auto-renewal. Membership programs grant access to premium workshops, a curated e-book library, an audio library, and event-only content, including weekly guided meditations and special sessions with resident teachers.

Revenue is generated through a diversified, predominantly consumer-direct model: annual magazine subscriptions (~$34/year for Lion's Roar, with Buddhadharma as a quarterly add-on), online course sales, e-commerce merchandise, display/sponsored advertising on owned media properties, and tax-deductible donations (one-time, monthly recurring, and planned/legacy giving) under 501(c)(3) US status and Canadian Registered Charity status. Distribution is global via digital channels and international print shipping, with marketing spanning content, email newsletters, social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X), podcasts, and live events. Operational signals include ongoing product launches (online courses, apps, pilgrimages), academic partnerships (ACLS, Rubin Museum, Courtauld, Tricycle Foundation) through the Buddhism Public Scholars program, and an active editorial cadence anchored by an 11-50 employee team.

Name

Lion's Roar

Legal name

Lion's Roar Foundation

Website

https://lionsroar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lion's Roar is an independent, community-supported nonprofit media organization publishing the leading Buddhist-inspired English-language magazine, Buddhadharma quarterly, and a multi-platform ecosystem of websites, mobile apps, online courses, podcasts, and live events for spiritually curious individuals and committed practitioners worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions to Lion's Roar magazine ($34/year for gift subscriptions, 6 issues per year) and Buddhadharma: the Practitioner's Quarterly, with automatic renewal.
2. E-commerce Store: Sale of Buddhist art, jewelry, gifts, meditation supplies, and merchandise through store.lionsroar.com. Members receive 15% discount.
3. Online Courses: Premium online learning programs with courses, summits, and online events available through learn.lionsroar.com. Refundable within 30 days.
4. Advertising: Display advertising and sponsored content opportunities across magazine, website, and newsletters, targeting spiritually curious, socially conscious audience.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Includes one-time gifts, monthly support, and planned giving/legacy gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lion's Roar Foundation is an independent nonprofit media organization that publishes two print magazines (Lion's Roar Magazine, published six times per year, and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly), maintains a website at lionsroar.com, and operates an online learning platform (learn.lionsroar.com), an e-commerce store (store.lionsroar.com), podcasts, e-books, and mobile apps focused on Buddhist teachings, meditation, and mindfulness content. The organization sells magazine subscriptions, online courses and workshops, merchandise, and accepts tax-deductible donations to support its mission.

Product overview

Lion's Roar is a nonprofit media organization offering a comprehensive Buddhist and mindfulness content portfolio across multiple platforms. The core offerings include two print publications (Lion's Roar Magazine and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly), distributed through lionsroar.com as the central digital hub. Supporting digital products include the Online Learning Portal (learn.lionsroar.com) for structured courses and workshops, the Online Store (store.lionsroar.com) for merchandise, a podcast series, and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The subscription-based membership model provides access to premium workshops, the audio library, e-books, and member discounts, while free content includes guided meditations, articles, and the Buddhist Directory. The company also organizes pilgrimages to sacred Buddhist sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buddhadharma: Buddhadharma: the Practitioner's Quarterly - a print publication alongside Lion's Roar magazine

Products and services

• Lion's Roar Magazine Flagship print publication issued 6 times per year, delivering Buddhist wisdom, meditation practices, and spiritual guidance for practitioners at all levels. Available by annual subscription ($34/year gift tier) and on newsstands.
• Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly Quarterly print magazine offering in-depth Buddhist teachings, practices, and scholarship for committed practitioners, distributed by annual subscription.
• Online Learning Portal (learn.lionsroar.com) Premium online learning platform offering structured courses, workshops, summits, and audio collections on Buddhist teachings and meditation practices. Purchases refundable within 30 days; members receive 15% off.
• Lion's Roar Online Store E-commerce store at store.lionsroar.com selling Buddhist art, jewelry, gifts, books, and meditation supplies, with 15% member discount.
• E-books Digital guides curated by Lion's Roar covering Buddhist topics and practices, available through the e-book library.
• Pilgrimages to Sacred Buddhist Sites Spiritual travel experiences to sacred Buddhist sites offered through the Lion's Roar promotional site, marketed to members and readers interested in deepening practice through pilgrimage.
• Member Benefits Program Annual membership program providing workshops, live events, e-books, premium content and audio library access, and a 15% discount on store purchases and online courses.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Lion's Roar Foundation hosts Buddhism Public Scholars as part of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies, providing one- to two-year professional positions for scholars advancing Buddhist research, teaching, and public engagement.
• Rubin Museum of Himalayan ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Buddhism Public Scholars program, hosting scholars alongside Lion's Roar Foundation and other Buddhist organizations.
• The Courtauld Institute of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution hosting Buddhism Public Scholar as part of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies.
• The Tricycle FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuddhist media organization hosting Buddhism Public Scholar as part of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tricycle Foundation: Tricycle is the most direct peer: a US-based nonprofit Buddhist media organization publishing a quarterly magazine, daily web content, and online courses on Buddhism and meditation. It serves a near-identical audience to Lion's Roar and is already a programmatic partner via the Buddhism Public Scholars initiative.
• Shambhala Publications: Shambhala Publications is an independent publisher specializing in Buddhist teachings, meditation, mindfulness, and Eastern philosophy across books, audio, and digital formats. It competes with Lion's Roar's editorial content and books/e-books while sharing the same spiritually curious readership.
• Wisdom Publications: Wisdom Publications is a nonprofit Buddhist book publisher producing scholarly and practice-oriented works on Buddhism, mindfulness, and meditation. It overlaps with Lion's Roar's Buddhadharma segment and book content, targeting committed Buddhist practitioners with similar titles and teachers.

Broad incumbents

• Sounds True: Sounds True is an established multi-media publisher of spiritual, mindfulness, and self-development content spanning books, audio programs, online courses, and streaming. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps Lion's Roar's online learning, podcast, and e-commerce offerings, but addresses a wider spiritual and wellness audience.
• Hay House: Hay House is a major publisher and media company in the spiritual, wellness, and self-help space, producing books, podcasts, online courses, and live events. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps Lion's Roar's premium content and live event monetization but targets a more general spiritual/wellness audience rather than a Buddhist-specific niche.
• Calm: Calm is a leading consumer mindfulness and meditation app with hundreds of millions in revenue and a global mainstream audience. It is not a Buddhist publication, but competes for the meditation-attention wallet of Lion's Roar's spiritually curious consumer segment at a much larger scale.

Others

• Insight Meditation Society: IMS is a long-established Buddhist nonprofit offering residential retreats, online programs, and teacher training in vipassana/metta practice. It is not a media competitor, but addresses overlapping audiences and competes for charitable donations within the same Buddhist community.
• Spirit Rock Meditation Center: Spirit Rock is a major US Insight Meditation center offering retreats, online courses, and teacher residencies. It overlaps with Lion's Roar's spiritually curious and committed practitioner audiences but competes primarily in the retreat/teacher space rather than publishing.
• Plum Village: Plum Village is Thich Nhat Hanh's global mindfulness community, producing books, an app, online retreats, and dharma talks. It shares Lion's Roar's meditation and mindfulness audience and could be considered an adjacent competitor for online learning and practitioner attention.
• Mind & Life Institute: Mind & Life is a nonprofit bridging contemplative traditions and neuroscience through research, dialogues, and public programming. It is thematically adjacent to Lion's Roar's scholarly content and shares academic partners, but does not directly compete for media readership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lionsroar
• Facebookfacebook.com/lionsroarbuddhism
• YouTubeyoutube.com/lionsroar
• Xx.com/lionsroar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lionsroar

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lion's Roar