We believe a little funding can go a long way.
Our Small Grants Program helps yoga teachers launch and sustain yoga outreach projects in their local community. We fund innovative projects that focus on:
Accessibility
Offer yoga to individuals who might otherwise never have the opportunity to practice
Equity
Challenge inequities and expand access to health promoting practices, especially in communities that have faced systemic oppression
Health
Share the transformational benefits of yoga with populations that face physical and mental illness
Scale
Work to embed yoga in public institutions such as hospitals, schools, prisons, and community centers
Who Can Apply
Before you apply for a grant, make sure that you meet these criteria:
- Certified Yoga Teacher: In order to apply, you must have completed a 200+ hour yoga teacher training or have extensive experience teaching yoga.
- Based in the US: The applicant must be based within the United States. At this time, we are only able to ship mats within the US.
Yoga Service Project: The funds 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.
What We Support
We support projects which include four key elements:
FAQs
We provide small grants of $500-$1,000 to help yoga teachers launch or sustain yoga outreach projects in their local community. Please do not apply for more than $1,000.
We are pleased to support projects that bring yoga to folks who might not otherwise have the opportunity to practice. To be eligible for a small grant, your yoga service project must:
- Occur in the broader community in which you reside
- Directly serve beneficiaries based in the U.S.
- Be delivered by a certified yoga teacher(s)
- Have clearly identified goals and measurable objectives
- Occur within six months of when the grant is awarded
Our past grant recipients have included projects such as:
- An ongoing yoga class for a community affected by gun violence
- Yoga classes for the deaf community
- Ongoing classes in a local jail
- A new yoga program for a community center on a Hopi Reservation
- Yoga classes to raise funds for those affected by the Paradise Fire
Yes, unfortunately we are not able to accept applications from:
- Applicants located outside the U.S.
- For-profit organizations; including conferences, festivals, and teacher trainings
- Individuals who have not yet received their yoga teacher certification
We also cannot provide grant funds for the following purposes:
- One-off events
- Equipment for private yoga studios
- Projects which take place outside the U.S
- Conferences or festivals
- Yoga certification programs, yoga workshops or trainings
You can increase your chances of receiving a grant by proposing a clear and impactful project. In particular, we are interested in providing funds for projects which:
- Provide an ongoing yoga program that continues beyond the grant period
- Encourage collaboration with other groups or organizations in the community
- Offer innovative solutions to integrate yoga into the everyday life of the populations served
- Invite new students to the yoga practice for the first time
We also give priority to yoga teachers who work with our partner organizations; namely the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, International Association of Yoga Therapists, Holistic Life Foundation, and Accessible Yoga.
Bear with us! Small grant applications are reviewed quarterly, and we do our best to respond to applications as soon as possible. Please note that our funding is limited and does vary throughout the year. Due to the number of applications received, we sometimes have to turn down eligible projects.
Yes! There is no limit to how many grants you may receive.
You will need to use the funds for your project within six months of being awarded the grant. Please wait to apply if your project is more than six months in advance.
Yes, we will ask you to complete an online project report six months after you are granted the funds. We love receiving testimonials and pictures from our small grant recipients, so please do keep track and share how your funds were used.
Our Partners
We work with strategic partners to distribute small grants to yoga teachers and therapists working to expand access to yoga in their local communities.