Marpa Foundation for the Study, Practice, and Support of the Buddha Dharma

Legal name: Marpa Foundation for the Study Practice & Support of Buddha Dharma

Overview

Mission

Know this life to be like a dream. See the mind’s unborn nature. Aspire to be of benefit to others. – Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Support the Nunnery Endowment Fund. Support the Nunnery Endowment Fund Donate to Marpa Foundation Your donations help support Khenpo Rinpoche’s nunneries and make his teachings available worldwide. Your donations help support Khenpo Rinpoche’s nunneries and make his teachings available worldwide. [](. Copyright © The Marpa Foundation for the Study, Practice, and Support of the Buddha Dharma.

What it reported doing in 2024

Support to buddhist nuns in bhutan and nepal

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 85% of its reported program spending out as grants.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770378622
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Website reviewed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Otego, NY, USA
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Religion Related N.E.C.
Affiliation
Buddhism

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 62
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 38.6%; rating input score 39
  • Program expense ratio: 93.4%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $122.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited
  • Public monitoring controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Public policy transparency: 0 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Public financial transparency: 0 of 5 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Impact reporting controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
  • Public relationship transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Public governance controls: 1 of 4 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Zakat policy transparency: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 68.2%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Operating reserve ratio: 13.42; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 38.6% of revenue deployed · 93.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $397K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $26K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 10 annual filings from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.