The Chopra Foundation

What The Chopra Foundation does

The Chopra Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN #36-4793898) founded by Deepak Chopra, MD in 2001 and headquartered in New York with an additional office in La Costa (Carlsbad), California. The foundation's stated mission is to advance mind/body spiritual healing, education, and research, with a focus on scientifically validating ancient wellness practices — including Ayurveda, Panchakarma detoxification, meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques — through rigorous clinical study. Its primary research vehicle is the Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI), a multi-center collaboration with Harvard, UC San Diego, UCSF, Duke, Mount Sinai, Scripps Translational Science Institute, and Sanford Burnham Prebys, examining the biological effects of mind-body interventions across 120 participants using genomics, metabolomics, microbiome, and telomere analysis. Published outputs have appeared in Scientific Reports, Translational Psychiatry, Frontiers in Pain Research, and the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

The foundation's commercial surface consists of the Deepak Chopra Membership — a recurring digital subscription offering guided meditations, immersive learning content, and a private global community — plus donations from individuals and foundations. Program offerings span the NeverAlone.Love mental wellbeing initiative, the Longevity Program, The Soul of Leadership program, the annual Sages and Scientists Symposium, and a Longevity Retreat. The foundation operates with a small staff of 1–10 employees, including CEO Poonacha Machaiah, consulting CFO Michael McCarthy, and interim COO Justin Nahama, supported by a board chaired by Deepak Chopra.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model: tax-deductible donations (501(c)(3) contributions from individuals and named foundations including Walton Family Foundation and National Philanthropic Trust) and subscription revenue from the Deepak Chopra Membership. The affiliated but separately operated Chopra Center for Wellbeing delivers the six-day Perfect Health Panchakarma program (priced at $2,865 starting), generating revenue outside the foundation itself. The foundation does not publicly disclose revenue, headcount trends, or membership pricing, limiting financial visibility. Go-to-market is community-led, driven by Deepak Chopra's personal brand across six social media platforms, email newsletters, peer-reviewed research publications, the annual symposium, and partnerships with humanitarian organizations including The Girl Generation, Akshaya Patra, and ProjectWhy.

Name

The Chopra Foundation

Legal name

The Chopra Foundation

Website

https://choprafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Chopra Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Deepak Chopra, MD that advances mind-body wellness through peer-reviewed clinical research on Ayurveda and meditation, while funding humanitarian programs for at-risk populations and operating the Deepak Chopra Membership community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellness Education and Mind-Body Health Research

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA), Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF), Mindfulness, Meditation & Stress Management Education (EDAAAHAD), Yoga & Meditation Experiences (Studio Classes, Guided Meditation, Mindfulness) (THAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Mind-body wellness programs
• Meditation and yoga education
• Integrative medicine research
• Spiritual healing nonprofit
• Wellness community membership

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (#36-4793898), The Chopra Foundation relies on donations from individuals and organizations to fund its research, educational, and humanitarian programs. The website includes a donation page for supporters to contribute.
2. Deepak Chopra Membership: A paid membership program offering guided meditations, immersive learning experiences, daily tools for intentional living, and access to a private global community. Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Chopra Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and conducts scientific research on mind-body practices (Ayurveda, meditation, yoga) and operates the Deepak Chopra Membership, a digital subscription community offering guided meditations, immersive learning, and a global community. It also runs humanitarian programs for at-risk children, low-income women, and prisoners, and hosts the annual Sages and Scientists Symposium.

Product overview

The Chopra Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on mind/body spiritual healing, education, and research. The organization offers a unified product portfolio centered around Deepak Chopra's wellness philosophy, comprising the Deepak Chopra Membership as the core digital offering providing guided meditations and a private global community; the NeverAlone.Love mental wellbeing program; the Longevity Program and Longevity Retreat for healthy aging; The Soul of Leadership for conscious leadership development; and the Annual Sages and Scientists Symposium. The foundation also conducts the Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI), a major research initiative in collaboration with Harvard, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, and other institutions studying the effects of Ayurveda, meditation, and yoga on biological markers of aging. Programs like the Perfect Health 6-day retreat program support the educational and research mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deepak Chopra Membership A subscription-based digital community offering guided meditations, immersive learning experiences, and daily tools for intentional living, with access to Deepak Chopra's direct presence and a private global community. Intended for individual wellness seekers worldwide.
• Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI)
• Sages and Scientists Symposium
• Longevity Retreat
• NeverAlone.Love — Mental Wellbeing & Suicide Prevention
• Longevity Program
• The Soul of Leadership
• Antarctica Mindfulness Journey Sweepstakes

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurable decrease in 12 phosphatidylcholine metabolites associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk, and cholesterol regulation after a 6-day Panchakarma program (119 participants, controlled trial, published in Scientific Reports)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard Medical School is a key research partner in the Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI), collaborating on genetic biomarker and gene activity research including whole genome sequencing, gene expression analysis, Alzheimer's-related amyloid beta protein studies, and the plasma proteome. Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD, a Harvard faculty member, serves as co-chair of the study.
• University of California San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC San Diego is a primary institutional partner, with Deepak Chopra serving as a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health. UC San Diego researchers including Paul J. Mills, PhD, Sheila Patel, and Valencia Porter participated in the SBTI study.
• University of California San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSF collaborated on the SBTI study, with Nobel Laureate Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Elissa E. Epel, PhD leading the blood-based markers of cellular aging research team, including telomerase and telomere length analysis.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke University researchers including Arthur M. Moseley, Joseph Lucas, Lisa St. John Williams, and P. Murali Doraiswamy participated as co-authors on the SBTI metabolomic profiles study, contributing expertise in biochemistry and neuroscience.
• Scripps Translational Science InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScripps Translational Science Institute collaborated on the SBTI study, with researchers Eric E. Topol, MD, and Steven R. Steinhubl, MD leading the general physical and heart health team, studying ECG, heart rate variability, sleep quality, and physical activity.
• Mount Sinai HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMount Sinai Hospital participated as a collaborator in the SBTI multi-center research initiative, contributing to the comprehensive systems biology approach studying the effects of Ayurvedic mind-body practices.
• Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute collaborated on microbiome and metabolomics research as part of the SBTI initiative, with researcher Scott N. Peterson contributing expertise in computational biology.
• The Girl GenerationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chopra Foundation collaborates with The Girl Generation, a humanitarian organization, as part of its commitment to supporting disadvantaged communities and promoting global health and well-being.
• Cup of UjiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chopra Foundation collaborates with Cup of Uji, a humanitarian organization, supporting food security and community empowerment initiatives.
• Akshaya PatraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chopra Foundation supports Akshaya Patra, a nonprofit focused on food for education, providing meals to disadvantaged children and supporting educational access through nutrition programs.
• ProjectWhyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chopra Foundation collaborates with ProjectWhy, supporting education and empowerment programs for underprivileged communities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Art of Living Foundation:
• Maharishi Foundation: The Maharishi Foundation is a comparable 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit promoting Transcendental Meditation with published scientific research on TM's health effects — structurally similar to the Chopra Foundation in combining a meditation practice with a research mission and humanitarian mission.

Direct peers

• Calm: Calm is a direct competitor in the meditation/mindfulness subscription space, offering guided meditations, sleep stories, and a global community — the same core format as the Deepak Chopra Membership, but with significantly larger scale, native mobile apps, and corporate-wellness distribution.
• Headspace: Headspace is a direct competitor offering guided meditations, mindfulness courses, and a paid subscription membership — directly comparable to the Chopra Foundation's membership offering, with stronger enterprise distribution via Headspace for Work.
• Insight Timer: Insight Timer is a direct competitor in the meditation app/marketplace space, offering guided meditations, courses, and a global community — overlapping heavily with the Chopra Foundation's membership, though with a broader teacher-talent model.
• Waking Up (Sam Harris): Waking Up is a direct competitor offering a paid subscription with guided meditations and a teacher-led community, anchored by a high-profile founder (Sam Harris) — the same premium teacher-led subscription model the Chopra Foundation runs.
• 10% Happier: 10% Happier offers guided meditations, courses, and a subscription app targeting skeptics and stress-reduction seekers — closely comparable to Chopra Foundation's meditation/mindfulness subscription but with a different brand positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/choprafndn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheChopraFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/thechoprafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/deepakchopra
• Instagraminstagram.com/thechoprafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Chopra Foundation