Tibetan Aid Project

What Tibetan Aid Project does

Tibetan Aid Project (legally Tibetan Nyingma Relief Foundation, Tax ID 23-7433901) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1969 by Tarthang Rinpoche and headquartered at 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley, California. Its mission is to rebuild, preserve, and perpetuate the cultural and spiritual heritage of Tibet for the benefit of Tibetan communities in exile and humanity at large. The organization operates a small volunteer staff (1-10 employees) and runs its core programs out of co-located facilities with the Nyingma Institute. Since its founding, Tibetan Aid Project has prioritized the production and free distribution of Tibetan Buddhist sacred texts and art to communities across the Himalayan region, responding to the destruction of 95% of Tibetan texts and 6,000 monasteries following the 1959 invasion of Tibet.

The organization's core programmatic offerings center on the Yeshe De Text Preservation Project (founded 1983), which prints and distributes Tibetan sacred texts including the Kangyur, and the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony (founded 1989) in Bodh Gaya, India, a ten-day event drawing over 10,000 Tibetan lamas, monks, nuns and lay people from across India, Nepal, and Bhutan where millions of texts, prayer wheels, and sacred art are distributed. Supporting programs include Dharma Publishing (120+ titles in a dozen languages), the Community of 1000 Blessings monthly pledging program ($30/month for three years), the Wheel of Dharma Society planned-giving and endowment program, the Residential Work-Study Program at Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center, and humanitarian/ceremonial support activities. To date, the organization and its sister organizations have donated over 5.5 million sacred texts, 176,250 prayer wheels, and over 4 million sacred art prints.

Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible charitable contributions, primarily from a long-tail base of individual donors via one-time and recurring donations (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual cadences), supplemented by planned gifts and bequests. The Community of 1000 Blessings program targets 300 recurring participants to generate $108,000 annually over a three-year window. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, anchored by the annual Taste & Tribute benefit gala, direct donor appeals, email and social media engagement (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), and the World Peace Ceremony itself, which functions as the primary physical distribution channel for printed materials to recipient monasteries, nunneries, libraries, schools, and individual practitioners.

Name

Tibetan Aid Project

Legal name

Tibetan Nyingma Relief Foundation

Website

https://tibetanaidproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tibetan Aid Project is a Berkeley-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 that preserves Tibetan Buddhist heritage by printing and freely distributing sacred texts, prayer wheels, and art to monasteries, schools, and practitioners across India, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation Nonprofit

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI), Volunteer Program Funding, Scholarships & Fundraising Support (EDAIAGAO)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage preservation
• Nonprofit charitable giving
• Sacred text printing
• Tibetan Buddhist support
• Religious community aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the mission of preserving Tibetan cultural and spiritual heritage. Donors can give one-time or recurring contributions (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual). The Community of 1000 Blessings program encourages monthly pledges of $30 for three years ($1,080 total).
2. Estate Planning / Bequests: Planned gifts through wills and living trusts. Members of the Wheel of Dharma Society have included TAP in their estate planning. These gifts help build TAP's endowment for reliable ongoing support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tibetan Aid Project is a nonprofit charitable organization that preserves and transmits Tibetan cultural and spiritual heritage by funding the printing, reproduction, and free distribution of sacred Tibetan texts, prayer wheels, butter lamps, and sacred art to Tibetans in exile across the Himalayan region. Its core work centers on the Yeshe De Text Preservation Project (founded 1983) and the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India, where millions of texts including the Kangyur are distributed directly to monasteries, nunneries, libraries, schools, and individual practitioners. The organization also runs recurring giving and planned giving programs (Community of 1000 Blessings and Wheel of Dharma Society), a Residential Work-Study Program, and supporting publishing activities through Dharma Publishing.

Product overview

Tibetan Aid Project operates as a nonprofit cultural preservation organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on preserving and transmitting Tibetan Buddhist heritage. The core offerings include the Yeshe De Text Preservation Project (founded 1983) for printing and distributing sacred Tibetan texts, and the annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India (founded 1989) for mass text distribution. Supporting programs include donation vehicles (Community of 1000 Blessings monthly giving and Wheel of Dharma Society planned giving), volunteer opportunities including a six-month Residential Work-Study Program, and publishing through Dharma Publishing. The organization distributes donated texts, prayer wheels, and sacred art prints directly to Tibetan practitioners across the Himalayan region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yeshe De Text Preservation Project A cornerstone project dedicated to printing and distributing Tibetan sacred and cultural texts for free to Tibetans in exile across the Himalayan region. Over 5.5 million texts have been distributed through this project, including the Kangyur (words of the Buddha) and archival copies of the works of the Nyingma Lineage (over 6 million books in Tibetan printed).
• Nyingma Monlam Chenmo World Peace Ceremony An annual ten-day ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India, where over 10,000 Tibetan lamas, monks, nuns, and lay people from across the Himalayan region gather. The event serves as the primary distribution event for sacred texts including the Kangyur, prayer wheels, butter lamps, and sacred art to individual practitioners, scholars, monasteries, nunneries, libraries, and schools.
• Community of 1000 Blessings

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5.5 million sacred texts donated to Tibetans in exile
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: Dharamsala-based institution preserving Tibetan texts and providing cultural/religious education to the exile community. Directly comparable mission of Tibetan text preservation for exile communities.
• Tibet House US: New York-based cultural center promoting Tibetan civilization through exhibitions, classes, and preservation programs. Comparable as a US-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving Tibetan cultural and spiritual heritage.
• Yeshe De Text Preservation Project: Direct sister project of TAP (founded 1983) that prints and distributes sacred Tibetan texts. Same mission, same founder, same beneficiary communities — effectively the operational printing/distribution arm alongside TAP.
• Odiyan Buddhist Retreat Center: Sister organization under the Mandala of Nyingma, founded by Tarthang Rinpoche, hosting the Residential Work-Study Program. Closely aligned with TAP's volunteer and retreat programming.
• Ratna Ling Retreat Center: Sister organization within the Mandala of Nyingma founded by Tarthang Rinpoche. Comparable as a Tarthang Rinpoche-founded nonprofit supporting Buddhist study and practice infrastructure.
• Dharma Publishing: Sister organization under the Mandala of Nyingma founded by Tarthang Rinpoche; produces 120+ titles on Tibetan Buddhist teachings. Directly comparable as a publishing arm of the same founder's preservation mission.

Emerging players

• Rigpa International: International network of Buddhist study and meditation centers; comparable as a Tibetan Buddhist preservation and teaching nonprofit with global reach and recurring donor model.
• Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT): International nonprofit network supporting Tibetan Buddhist study, meditation centers, and text preservation. Comparable as a large faith-based Buddhist humanitarian and educational mission organization.
• Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art: New York museum dedicated to Himalayan art preservation, exhibitions, and education. Comparable as a cultural preservation organization focused on Himalayan/Tibetan heritage, though more art-museum-oriented than text-distribution focused.
• Shechen Monastery and Nunnery: Nyingma-lineage monastery and nunnery in Nepal/India serving the Tibetan exile community. Comparable as a Nyingma Buddhist religious institution aligned with TAP's text distribution beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tibetanaidproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tibetan-aid-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/tibetanaidproject

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tibetan Aid Project