WE PROVIDE YOGA MATS TO HELP CERTIFIED YOGA TEACHERS AND THERAPISTS LAUNCH AND EXPAND YOGA OUTREACH PROJECTS.

MAT GRANTS

APPLY IN THE US

We believe a yoga mat can change a life.

Our Mat Grants Program provides certified yoga teachers and therapists with supplies to kickstart yoga outreach projects. We supply and ship free mats to support projects that focus on:

ACCESSIBILITY
Offer yoga to individuals who might otherwise never have the opportunity to practice

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EQUITY
Challenge inequities and expand access to health promoting practices, especially in communities that have faced systemic oppression

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HEALTH
Share the transformational benefits of yoga with populations that face physical and mental illness

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COMMUNITY
Want to create a long-term impact in a community facing hardship

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  • A young woman with curly hair smiling outdoors.

    “This gift allowed me to tear down one of the barriers facing the deaf community when it comes to finding accessible yoga.”

    Beatrice Bachleda, Deaf Yoga Instructor and Mat Recipient

  • Children in blue T-shirts participating in outdoor exercise on a sports court

    “Thank you so much for the mats we were able to gift to kids at a teen grief camp! One girl stood up and taught the whole group tree pose, and another brought her stuffed animal on the mat to practice with her. Everyone felt supported and we could not have held the class without your support!”

    Jill Ipolito, Founder and Director of Uprising Yoga, Mat Recipient

  • Children practicing yoga or meditation in a group class, sitting cross-legged on mats with hands raised above their heads.

    “I started a yoga class in the town close to me after a series of horrific gun related suicides or accidents involving our young people. Since we received the gift of your mats, yoga has helped so many. One girl came just after her mother-in-law died by suicide. She showed up to her mat with tears, but she came to her safe place. This is the power of yoga.”

    Alecia Helmes, School Psychologist and Mat Recipient

OUR IMPACT

Since 2015, we have shipped over 50,000 mats to help yoga teachers lead classes for prisoners, veterans, and people facing physical and mental illness.

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WHO CAN APPLY

BEFORE YOU APPLY FOR A MAT GRANT, MAKE SURE YOU MEET THESE CRITERIA:

Certified Yoga Teacher or Therapist: In order to apply, you must have completed a 200+ hour yoga teacher training or your yoga therapist certification.

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Permanent Shipping Address: At this time, we are only able to ship mats within the US. Please note, we cannot ship to a non-permanent address and we are unable to ship mats to Puerto Rico or P.O. Boxes.

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Yoga Service Project: The mats must be used for a service project; that is, they cannot be used for a for-profit venture such as a conference, festival, or teacher training.

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WHAT WE SUPPORT

WE SUPPORT PROJECTS WHICH INCLUDE FOUR KEY ELEMENTS:

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Sustainability

Programs that are built for long-term impact and community resilience.

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Impact

Initiatives that demonstrate measurable change in individuals or groups.

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Integration

Efforts to blend yoga with mental health, addiction recovery, or trauma services.

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Outreach

Projects that bring yoga to underserved or marginalized communities.

FAQS

  • We ask that you complete your yoga teacher training or yoga therapy certification before applying. Applicants must have completed a 200+ hour yoga teacher training or hold a yoga therapist certification at the time of application.

  • The application typically takes 15–30 minutes to complete, depending on the depth of your responses. Each application is carefully reviewed by our Mat Grant team.

  • The Mat Grant application window remains open until all available mats have been distributed. The timeframe varies from year to year based on inventory and demand.

  • Each application is thoughtfully reviewed by members of the Give Back Yoga Foundation Mat Grant team. We consider alignment with our mission, project sustainability, and overall community impact when making decisions.

  • No. We do not provide mats for individual or personal use. Our intention is that each mat supports shared use within a service setting and reaches 10–30 students (or more) over its lifetime.

  • Generally, no. Mats are intended to be used within a program or project setting rather than distributed to individuals. This approach allows each mat to support many participants over time and creates broader community impact.

  • No. The Mat Grant Program is not designed to support for-profit ventures, including yoga studios, personal businesses, conferences, festivals, or teacher trainings. Mats must be used specifically for yoga service or outreach projects serving communities who might not otherwise have access to yoga.

  • We support yoga service projects that emphasize accessibility, equity, health, and community. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate sustainability, measurable impact, integration with healing or support services, and outreach to underserved or marginalized populations.

  • Mats are distributed in multiples of six. On the application, you may request 6, 12, or 24 mats, depending on the scope and needs of your project.

  • Unfortunately, no. Because mats are donated by our vendor partners, we are unable to guarantee shipping timelines or accommodate specific delivery windows.

  • No. Our generous donors do not accept color requests, so mats are shipped based on available inventory.

  • We are currently able to ship mats to permanent addresses within the United States, including Hawaii. We are unable to ship to P.O. Boxes, Puerto Rico, or non-permanent addresses.

  • Yes. While we cannot ship mats outside of the United States, mats may be used internationally if you have a reliable way to transport them. Please note that shipping and customs costs often exceed the value of purchasing mats locally, so this should be carefully considered.

  • Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria and can receive mats at a permanent U.S. shipping address.description

If you have additional questions about the Mat Grant Program, we encourage you to review the eligibility criteria carefully before applying.

OUR PARTNER

We work with strategic partners to distribute yoga mats for startup or growing yoga outreach projects.