Our Journey
Hemera was founded in 2007 with a vision of bringing contemplative insight into the heart of contemporary life.
At that time, the science of mindfulness and meditation was still emerging, a new generation of young Dharma teachers was rising, and the field was expanding quickly. We adopted a limited life model to remain flexible—able to act quickly, engage new ideas and tailor giving to needs. From the beginning, we sought to build a team that was grounded in their own contemplative practices, making us more knowledgeable and effective collaborators and colleagues with our partners in the field.
A Focus on Programs Serving Individuals
Some of our most transformative work emerged through our in-house programs, which helped individuals deepen their contemplative practice at pivotal moments in their lives. Our first such initiative, Tending Space, offered fellowships to artists and practitioners whose work bridged contemplation and creativity. These early experiments grew into our Contemplative Fellowship Program, launched in 2013 and ultimately becoming Hemera’s largest single investment.
Through these fellowships, more than 15,000 educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and other professionals were able to attend extended residential retreats at one of our participating retreat centers. This was an opportunity that otherwise might have been beyond the means of many participants in service professions. Participants consistently reported reduced burnout, greater emotional resilience, and renewed purpose. The impact extended beyond individuals: classrooms, clinics, and community organizations were strengthened by colleagues who returned with deeper presence and clarity.
Research With a Path to Practice
Throughout the life of Hemera, we’ve been interested in the emerging science of human flourishing and particularly how it could serve young people and their families. From the outset, Hemera approached research with a simple question: Will this knowledge make a beneficial difference in people’s lives? We sought out projects that translated findings into practice rather than remaining confined to academic circles. Several projects in our early years had a big impact on the field.
For example, at the University of Chicago, the Thirty Million Words initiative transformed research on early language development into practical tools for parents and caregivers. At Harvard’s Center for the Developing Child, our support helped test innovations such as a parenting mentor program in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Several of our most successful research grants were true partnerships: we supported researchers not only with funding but with organizational thinking, creative fundraising and network-building.
Partnerships, programs, and grants
We collaborate closely with select grantees, co-creating programs and learning together in ways that strengthen both their work and the broader field.
We design and host our own initiatives—such as fellowships and teacher support funds—that provide people with direct opportunities to explore their creativity, deepen their practice, and grow as leaders.
We provide flexible funding to individuals and organizations, helping them carry forward their own vision and bring new possibilities to life.
Guided by the Field: Rivers & Seas and Wisdom & Compassion
Beginning in 2017 with the Rivers & Seas Process, and continuing with the Wisdom & Compassion strategy initiated in 2018, Hemera put a more explicit focus on contemplative life. Rivers & Seas, a process of dialogue with leaders in the field centered on Buddhism in North America, asked a wide variety of leaders, both individually and in groups, a generative question: Where does the Dharma want to go next? The conversations that emerged helped orient much of our subsequent grantmaking. We’ve been among the largest funders in the North American Buddhist ecosystem, and what we learned from the field in the Rivers & Seas process was vital input in shaping our approach.
In parallel, Wisdom & Compassion extended our long-standing partnerships with secular organizations exploring how contemplative and mindful practices can inform responses to social and institutional challenges: trauma, leadership, education, and community resilience. Our ability to identify and support high quality interventions came in part from our own grounding in contemplative practice: we had our own experience of what worked. For example, through a grant to the Center for Mindfulness at the University of San Diego, we supported the creation of a contemplative program for survivors of gun violence.
Many of our strongest partnerships grew gradually, beginning with modest, purpose-specific grants that evolved—through trust and shared learning—into more significant institutional commitments. Recognizing that many grantees in Buddhist and contemplative spaces were less experienced working with institutional funding, we believe this incremental approach was most appropriate. We often began by funding specific retreats, an area where we had considerable funding experience and content expertise, to learn more about the grantee as we deepened the relationship.
Looking Forward
As we have approached the completion of our lifecycle, we’ve taken a thoughtful approach to endings, focusing on our long-term partners and where there is an opportunity to continue impact even as we approach the end. We’ve focused on helping people think about sustainability and strategies for future funding.
Today, as Hemera moves through its spend-down, we are beginning to see the early fruits of seeds planted over many years: nonprofits rooted in contemplative wisdom, a new generation of Buddhist and Buddhist-inspired leaders, and communities strengthened through research and practice. While impermanence guides our model, our legacy lies not just in the specific outcomes of the individual grants, but in what continues: a network of leaders, practitioners and institutions of integrity better equipped to bring wisdom and compassion into the world.
Our Investments
As of November 2025, Hemera has awarded $56.6 million since its inception in 2007. There is approximately $14 million left in the endowment, much of which is already committed. Although Hemera did not have specific annual spending targets, we typically averaged commitments totaling between $2.0 million and $4.0 million per year.
Our Grantees
Hemera’s largest grantee across its entire duration has been Harvard University’s Center for the Developing Child, accounting for over 7% of total granted funds to date, followed by the Renee Crown Wellness Institute at the University of Colorado. Hemera has awarded grants to almost 450 organizations and individuals. Here is a list of our 10 largest grantees since 2015:
