About Us

Mission Statement

In 2008, the Himalayan Bön Foundation was established by Khenchen Tenpa Yungdrung, under the auspices of H.E. Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, to secure funding for the support of secular and spiritual initiatives by the Triten Norbutse Monastery in Bön communities throughout the Himalayan region, especially Nepal, India, and Tibet.

The primary focus of the Foundation is to establish, promote and sustain educational facilities and opportunities for Tibetan Bön communities. Projects will include establishing schools for Bönpo refugee children within the Himalayas. It will provide education programs to support the Bönpo cultural heritage and to enhance their children’s opportunities to compete economically within today’s modern world. Finally, the Foundation will provide scholarships for the advanced professional study to these children and to Bönpo monks and nuns.

As the focus of the Foundation is educational and cultural preservation, initiatives include the establishment and support of Tibetan medical schools, health care facilities, cultural heritage projects, community development and ecological initiatives within the Himalayan region. The Foundation will support indigenous Bönpos, recently immigrated from Tibet or currently living within Himalayan communities, with access to food, healthcare, shelter, educational opportunities and economic development.

The Foundation will continue to organize and support Bön religious teachings and retreats, based upon the ancient Tibetan Bön texts, taught by Bön Lamas and teachers, to interested practitioners in the West. The preservation of this vast wealth of Bön texts, and its translation into various western languages underscores the mission of the Himalayan Bön Foundation to preserve and disseminate the texts of the ancient Tibetan Bön culture and religion to institutions and public interests worldwide.

Board of Directors

Honorary Director, H.E. Yongdzin Lopön Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khenchen Tenpa Yungdrung Rinpoche, Triten Norbutse Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal
Khenpo Gelek Jinpa Rinpoche, Shenten Dargye Ling, Blou, France
Geshe Yungdrung Gyaltsen Phagontsang, Littleton, Colorado
James A. Fitzsimmons, LCSW, River Spring Farm Healing Centre, Woodstock, Virginia
Palden Hester, Denver, Colorado

Structure of Donations

The by-laws of the Foundation will reflect the mission statement and will instruct the directors to allocate funds based on the priority of need and to be directed at the individual donor’s request or from the earnings of the established endowment at the discretion of the Board during the quarterly corporate meetings. These by-laws also reflect the laws of the state of Colorado and US federal government and meet the standard for non-profit status.

The purposes of the Foundation is to:

  • Establish endowments and charitable donations for: scholarships, retreats, translations, new facility construction, social welfare, and health care.
  • Provide an office in Colorado for the purposes of the non-profit’s business
  • Provide a newsletter and other media communications to document the Foundation’s charitable activities and educate the general public as to the needs of the Bönpo communities and the preservation of the Bön teachings and traditions.

To this end, the Foundation leverages:

  • Proceeds from Teaching events
  • Direct donations from individuals and trusts
  • Grants
  • Fundraising activities
  • Gifts from Foundations and other corporate organizations

The Himalayan Bön Foundation is a registered 501 (c) (3) Educational/Religious, non-profit organization within the USA.  All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.