Funder: Mind and Life Institute
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Annual application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $25,000 USD per award for two-year projects
Summary: Supports rigorous research on contemplative and earth awareness practices to reduce suffering and promote human and community flourishing.
Key Information: Applicants must have attended the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute within the last five years.
Description
The Mind & Life Institute’s Research Grants support developing scientists and scholars investigating contemplative practices and their applications for reducing human suffering and promoting flourishing. The program combines four awards—Varela, Samuel B. Hanser Visionary, BESS Family Foundation, and Laurisa S. Dill Legacy—through a single application. Reviewers determine which award best fits each project.
The program seeks rigorous, interdisciplinary understanding of the mind and human behavior, with particular interest in personal well-being, compassionate communities, and human-earth connection. Contemplative practices are understood broadly, including meditation, mindfulness, compassion, contemplative prayer, yoga, qi-gong, and indigenous or traditional practices rooted in contemplative or spiritual wisdom traditions. Preference goes to projects integrating first-person contemplative methods and connecting disciplines. Collaboration with contemplative scholars and practitioners throughout the research is encouraged.
