Dalai Lama Foundation

What Dalai Lama Foundation does

The Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama is a Swiss-registered charitable foundation (Stiftung, CHE-374.586.600) established and supervised by the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs in Zurich. Founded by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the foundation's mission is to promote basic human values, mutual understanding among religions, peace and non-violence, and environmental protection, while preserving Tibetan Buddhist culture and supporting Tibetan people and other populations in need regardless of nationality, religion, or origin. The foundation is organized around four interconnected programs: (1) the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship, awarding up to $10,000 USD annually to 10–18 exceptional Tibetan graduate students at accredited universities in Europe, Australia, and North America (the Indian subcontinent is explicitly excluded); (2) Grants & Projects, which fund conferences, translation commissions, science-religion dialogue, and the SEE Learning (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning) educational curriculum co-developed with Emory University; (3) Books & Publications, which manages copyright and royalty matters for works authored or co-authored by the Dalai Lama; and (4) Charity & Donations, providing recurring grants to international humanitarian organizations including Save the Children, UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, and national Red Cross entities.

The foundation operates without any proprietary technology product or platform. Its "technology" is a multilingual WordPress-based web presence available in 10 languages, paired with social media accounts on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram, and integration with the Dalai Lama's official dalailama.com channels. Distribution is handled entirely through the website for donations and scholarship applications; the foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. There is no AI/ML component, no API, and no mobile application.

The business model is a pure non-profit donation and royalty model. Revenue is sourced from three streams: (a) personal contributions from the Dalai Lama himself; (b) public donations accepted via PayPal or wire transfer in CHF, EUR, or USD, with tax-deductibility depending on donor jurisdiction; and (c) royalties from the Dalai Lama's published books and publications, which the Dalai Lama has donated in full and which the foundation identifies as one of its main income sources. The foundation is staffed by 11–50 employees, led by Executive Director Tendam Tenzin Sewo, with no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investors.

Name

Dalai Lama Foundation

Legal name

Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama

Website

https://dalailamafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama is a Swiss-registered charitable foundation that promotes human values, interfaith understanding, and Tibetan cultural preservation through graduate scholarships, the SEE Learning curriculum, humanitarian grants to international organizations, and royalties from the Dalai Lama's publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Humanitarian aid
• Graduate scholarships
• Interfaith dialogue
• Tibetan cultural preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. His Holiness the Dalai Lama Contributions: The foundation is funded by contributions from its founder, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who donates his personal resources to support the foundation's operations and charitable activities.
2. Public Donations: The foundation receives donations from the general public worldwide. Donations can be made via PayPal or wire transfer in CHF, EUR, or USD currencies. Depending on the donor's domicile and tax advisory, donations may be tax-deductible.
3. Book Royalties and Publications: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has generously donated all royalties from his books and publications to the foundation. These publication royalties constitute one of the main sources of income for the foundation. The foundation manages and coordinates copyright matters for books and publications authored by the Dalai Lama.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama is a Swiss nonprofit foundation that operates four core programs: (1) the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship Program providing supplemental scholarships of up to $10,000 USD to exceptional Tibetan graduate students at accredited universities in Europe, Australia, and North America; (2) Grants & Projects funding human values initiatives including the SEE Learning curriculum co-developed with Emory University; (3) Books & Publications managing royalties from the Dalai Lama's authored works; and (4) Charity & Donations channeling regular contributions to international humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, Save the Children, and Red Cross societies.

Product overview

The Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama is a single-entity Swiss charitable foundation founded by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. The foundation operates four interconnected programs: the Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship for Tibetan students pursuing higher education; Grants & Projects supporting human values, SEE Learning education, and science-religion dialogue; Books & Publications managing Dalai Lama's copyright royalties as its primary revenue source; and Charity & Donations to international humanitarian organizations. The foundation does not offer a technology product but rather manages charitable programs focused on promoting basic human values, mutual understanding among religions, peace, non-violence, and environmental protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship: Highly competitive partial scholarships awarded to exceptional Tibetan students pursuing full-time graduate studies at accredited universities in Europe, Australia, and North America.

Products and services

• Dalai Lama Graduate Scholarship Program Highly competitive supplemental scholarship program awarding up to $10,000 USD annually to 10-18 exceptional Tibetan graduate students pursuing full-time studies at accredited universities in Europe, Australia, and North America (Indian subcontinent excluded). Recipients must demonstrate academic excellence and a future career plan that embraces Tibetan culture of compassion and wisdom while committing to give back to their communities and benefit humanity.
• Grants & Projects Short and long-term projects, conferences, and seminars promoting fundamental human values. Includes the SEE Learning (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning) educational program co-developed with Emory University, science-religion dialogue projects, translation work, and publications supporting preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture, science, and philosophy.
• Books & Publications Manages and coordinates copyright matters for books and publications authored or co-authored by the 14th Dalai Lama. All royalties from these publications are donated by the Dalai Lama to the foundation, which constitutes a primary revenue source for the foundation's charitable activities.
• Charity & Donations Regular charitable donations to international humanitarian aid organizations to alleviate suffering in crisis areas. Beneficiaries include Save the Children, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), and national Red Cross organizations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emory UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation collaborated with Emory University in the development and implementation of the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEE Learning) educational program, a new curriculum designed to promote human values and ethical development among students.
• Save the ChildrenminorOthersThe Gaden Phodrang Foundation has provided charitable donations to Save the Children over the years as part of its humanitarian assistance to organizations working to alleviate suffering in crisis areas.
• UNICEFminorOthersThe foundation has made charitable donations to UNICEF as part of its ongoing support for international humanitarian organizations helping people in crisis situations worldwide.
• World Health Organization (WHO)minorOthersThe foundation has provided charitable support to the World Health Organization as part of its humanitarian assistance efforts to organizations working in crisis zones.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)minorOthersThe foundation has supported UNHCR through charitable donations to assist refugees in critical situations around the world.
• Red Cross OrganizationsminorOthersThe foundation has made regular charitable donations to national Red Cross organizations as part of its humanitarian aid efforts.
• Various European OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver the years, the foundation has co-organized several high-profile public events and symposia with His Holiness the Dalai Lama throughout Europe to promote peace, non-violence, and interfaith dialogue.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Khyentse Foundation: Buddhist-aligned grantmaking foundation funding scholarships, translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts, and humanitarian causes globally; closest direct analog in mission profile (Tibetan scholarships + cultural preservation + humanitarian grants).
• The Tibet Fund: US-based nonprofit channeling support specifically to Tibetan communities in exile, including education, healthcare and cultural preservation—directly comparable beneficiary base and program mix.
• Tibet House US: Cultural center and nonprofit advancing understanding of Tibetan civilization, including cultural programs, scholarships and exhibitions—overlapping preservation and educational mandate.
• Mind & Life Institute: Founded with the Dalai Lama's involvement to foster dialogue between Buddhism and modern science; directly comparable grantmaking and programming overlap (science-religion dialogue, SEE Learning-adjacent programs).

Regional players

• The Dalai Lama Trust (Dharamsala): India-registered entity supporting Tibetan refugees and cultural preservation from within the exile community; highly overlapping mission and beneficiary base but primarily serving the Indian subcontinent where the Swiss foundation is barred from operating.

Emerging players

• Foundation for Universal Peace: Philanthropy established by Alejandro Agag with interfaith and humanitarian initiatives; thematic overlap (peace, interfaith, humanitarian aid) rather than shared beneficiary group.
• Rigpa International: International Buddhist network funding teaching, study and community programs with overlapping themes (Buddhist philosophy, ethics education, compassion training) but more direct-service than grantmaking.
• International Campaign for Tibet: Advocacy organization focused on Tibetan human rights, cultural preservation and political status—adjacent mission with overlapping beneficiary group but a different operational model (advocacy-led).

Broad incumbents

• Chopra Foundation: Nonprofit advancing wellbeing, mind-body medicine and humanitarian aid with a strong founder brand—comparable spiritual-figure-led foundation structure, albeit with a different philosophical lineage.
• Lotus Outreach: Nonprofit funding education, women's empowerment and humanitarian work across South Asia and Tibetan communities; overlapping scholarship-style and humanitarian-aid programs with broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dalailama
• Facebookfacebook.com/dalailamafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/dalailama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-dalai-lama-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Dalai Lama Foundation