Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives
Legal name: Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives Incorporated
Overview
Mission
Committed to improving the educational opportunities and living conditions of female monastics in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition; supports Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and her projects through donations worldwide. Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives is a nonprofit organization based in the United States. Through the generosity of donors worldwide it supports the activities of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo. Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives** is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a volunteer Board of Directors. We are dedicated to supporting the life and mission of our Spiritual Director, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and her projects. Dongyu Gatsal Ling Initiatives was originally founded in 2008 as Friends of Dongyu Gatsal Ling with the intention of supporting the DGL Nunnery and its Endowment. By 2017, the scope of our mission had expanded and we made the decision to support two projects:.
What it reported doing in 2024
To provide shelter, food and clothing for nuns to live in.
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 90% of its reported program spending out as grants.
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 800198191
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Website reviewed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Headquarters
- Woodbury, NY, United States
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Buddhism
- Affiliation
- Buddhism
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports that some governance safeguards are missing and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 59
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 83
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 79.7%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 97.7%; rating input score 98
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
- Public monitoring controls: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- 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: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- Public governance controls: 4 of 4 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Zakat policy transparency: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 24.9%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Operating reserve ratio: 4.92; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 79.7% of revenue deployed · 97.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $609K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 12 annual filings from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.