Theravada Monastic Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £1,069,649 (2024)
• Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
• Geographic Focus: International (UK, Europe, North America, Asia)

Contact Details

Email: theravadamonastictrust@gmail.com

Phone: 01442 927018

Registered Address: Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 3BZ

Charity Number: 1127588

Trust Secretary: Caroline Leinster (handles day-to-day management)

Overview

The Theravada Monastic Trust was registered as a UK charity in 2008 with the specific purpose of supporting the development of Theravada Buddhist monastic communities worldwide. With an impressive annual expenditure of over £1 million in 2024 (total income: £1,118,231), the Trust represents a significant funding source for Buddhist monasteries in the Ajahn Chah lineage. The Trust operates with minimal overhead, maintaining no physical assets beyond cash reserves and employing no staff. All operations are managed by four unpaid trustees and a Trust Secretary. The charity is empowered by its Articles of Association to support monasteries anywhere in the world, reflecting its truly international scope. The main focus is the development, maintenance, and upkeep of Theravada monasteries, with donors generally wishing to support both development projects and ongoing operational costs.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Trust does not operate formal grant programs with set amounts. Instead, funding is allocated at the trustees' discretion to monasteries within the Ajahn Chah lineage.

Priority Areas

• Infrastructure Development: Construction and improvement of monastery buildings and facilities
• Maintenance and Upkeep: Ongoing operational costs for established monasteries
• Monastic Visits and Retreats: Supporting monastics to travel and teach
• Lineage Support: Exclusive focus on monasteries in the Forest Tradition founded by Ajahn Chah

Key Criteria:

• Monasteries must be part of the lineage founded by Ajahn Chah
• Monasteries must exist to share the teachings of the Buddha with the wider community and public
• All supported monasteries offer teachings and facilities free of charge

Recent Grant Recipients (2023):

• Budismo Theravada da Floresta (BTdF), steward of Sumedharama Monastery, Portugal
• Stiftelsen Skogskloster, steward of Lokuttara Monastery, Norway
• The Forest Hermitage, UK

What They Don't Fund

• Monasteries outside the Ajahn Chah lineage
• Commercial or fee-based Buddhist operations
• Individual practitioners (funding goes to institutional monasteries)
• Non-Buddhist religious organizations
• Projects unrelated to monastic development

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Governance and Leadership

The Theravada Monastic Trust operates with a lean governance structure:

Trustees: 4 unpaid trustees oversee the charity's operations

Trust Secretary: Caroline Leinster manages day-to-day operations

Remuneration: No trustees receive payment for their services

Structure: Private Limited Company by guarantee, registered with Companies House (06762469)

The Trust maintains strong connections to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, which serves as the registered office and appears to be the administrative hub for the organization. The governance model reflects Buddhist values of simplicity and service, with all administrative work carried out on a voluntary basis.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Theravada Monastic Trust operates on a trustee-discretionary model, making grants to monasteries within the Ajahn Chah lineage based on identified needs and trustee decisions. There is no application portal, no published deadlines, and no formal application forms available to the public.

Grants appear to be awarded through:

• Direct relationships with monasteries in the Forest Sangha network
• Trustee identification of need within the supported community
• Consultation between Trust administrators and monastery stewards

The Trust's focus on monasteries “which exist to share the teachings of the Buddha with the wider community and public” suggests that established monasteries with community outreach are the natural beneficiaries.

Getting on Their Radar

The Theravada Monastic Trust specifically supports monasteries in the Ajahn Chah lineage, which is a defined network known as the Forest Sangha. This is a well-established international community with over 300 monasteries worldwide.

Key connections within the network:

• Amaravati Buddhist Monastery (UK) - The Trust's registered office and apparent administrative center
• Wat Pah Pong (Thailand) - The original monastery established by Ajahn Chah
• Abhayagiri Monastery (California, USA) - Major North American center
• Cittaviveka/Chithurst (UK) - First Forest Tradition monastery in England

If your monastery is part of this lineage, you are likely already known to the Trust through the Forest Sangha network. The interconnected nature of these monasteries means that needs are often communicated through monastic channels and existing relationships.

For monasteries new to the network or seeking recognition, engagement with the established Forest Sangha community would be the natural pathway. The Trust Secretary, Caroline Leinster, based at Amaravati, handles operational matters.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As a trustee-discretionary fund, decisions are likely made on an ongoing basis as needs arise within the supported monastery network.

Success Rates

Not applicable, as there is no public application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as there is no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since this Trust operates without a public application process, traditional success factors do not apply. However, based on the Trust's stated purposes and grant patterns, the following factors appear important:

Alignment with Core Mission:

The Trust's Articles specify support for “the development of a Theravada Buddhist Monastic Sangha worldwide.” Monasteries that clearly advance this mission through:

• Training monastics in the Ajahn Chah tradition
• Offering free teachings to the public
• Maintaining traditional Theravada monastic standards
• Contributing to the Forest Sangha network

Operational Philosophy:

The Trust's documentation emphasizes that “all the monasteries supported by the Theravada Monastic Trust offer all the teachings and facilities free of charge.” This commitment to freely offered dhamma appears central to the Trust's values.

Types of Projects Funded:

Based on the Trust's stated focus, successful grants support:

• Infrastructure development for monastery buildings
• Maintenance and operational costs
• Monastic visits and teaching tours
• Retreat facilities

Geographic Spread:

While based in the UK, the Trust has demonstrated international reach, with recent grants to Portugal and Norway, and stated operations in Italy, Portugal, and the United States.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Not a typical funder: This Trust does not accept unsolicited applications and operates entirely within the Ajahn Chah monastic network
• Lineage-specific: Only monasteries within the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah are supported
• Significant resources: With over £1 million in annual expenditure, this is a substantial funding source for qualifying monasteries
• Values-driven: The requirement that all supported monasteries offer teachings free of charge reflects core Buddhist values of dana (generosity)
• Network-based: Integration with the Forest Sangha community appears to be the pathway to support
• Minimal bureaucracy: The Trust operates with no staff and minimal overhead, suggesting an efficient, relationship-based approach
• International scope: Despite UK registration, the Trust actively supports monasteries across multiple continents

References

• UK Charity Commission Register, Theravada Monastic Trust (Charity No. 1127588): https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1127588&subid=0
• UK Companies House, Theravada Monastic Trust (Company No. 06762469): https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06762469
• Theravada Monastic Trust Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023, accessed via Charity Commission website, December 29, 2025
• NGO Explorer, Theravada Monastic Trust profile: https://ngoexplorer.org/charity/1127588
• Forest Sangha website, information on the Ajahn Chah monastery network: https://www.forestsangha.org
• Wikipedia, “Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah,”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Tradition_of_Ajahn_Chah