Financial Assistance ~ General Information

In the spirit of generosity – an essential aspect of the 2,500 year-old Buddhist tradition – IMS is committed to offering financial assistance to those who are genuinely unable to afford the cost of a meditation retreat.

This assistance is in the form of 'You Choose' fee options for certain Retreat Center courses (see our schedule) and scholarships.

Scholarships

For scholarships, there is a sliding scale scholarship rate. By selecting the highest amount you can reasonably afford, you support our ability to meet the growing number of requests for financial aid.

Since scholarships are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, we recommend that you apply for financial assistance as early as possible. Awards are generally restricted to one per person, per year. (Please note that financial assistance for the Three-Month Retreat is considered separately.)

Due to limited resources, we cannot guarantee that every application will result in a scholarship award. Please be assured, however, that we will do our best to help you attend a Retreat Center course.

'You Choose' Fee Options

For the Retreat Center’s annual Monastic, People of Color and 18-32 Year Olds courses, rates are on a ‘You Choose’ basis. This means you can establish your own course fee, based on your financial means. Although rates for this begin at $15 per night, paying more allows IMS to continue offering financial aid to as many people as possible. No financial assistance application is necessary when registering for any of these three retreats.

From time to time, and on fairly short notice, IMS offers a limited number of ‘You Choose’ fee spaces for other retreats – please check our Retreat Center schedule for availability.

For Anyone Aged 18-26

IMS is happy to announce a new endeavor to support the practice of young adults. Anyone aged 18-26 can now apply for a limited number of 'You Choose' fee spaces – at the rates mentioned above – that we are making available for five upcoming Retreat Center courses:

Kindhearted Awareness, April 17-22, 2012
The Buddha’s Way to Happiness, May 16-20, 2012
Wise Concentration, December 18-23, 2012

If you are in this age group, and would appreciate an increased level of aid to help you sit an IMS retreat, please submit a financial assistance application.

Deposit

All retreats require a deposit on registering, even if you are applying for financial assistance. Please refer to the Retreat Center Schedule for specific deposit amounts.