The Rowell Fund for Tibet’s Advisory Board has awarded $36,000 in grants in support of ten projects for 2026, marking an $11,000 increase in funding from previous years. These projects aim to empower Tibetans and enable the preservation of Tibetan culture, strengthen community resilience, and safeguard Tibetan identity in the face of growing contemporary challenges.

The Rowell Fund Advisory Board approved 3 journalism grants in this cycle. In a time when Tibetan-language reporting and independent coverage of Tibet are increasingly limited—particularly following the closure of the Tibetan services of Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA), supporting Tibetan journalists and storytellers is crucial now more than ever before to ensure that Tibetan voices are heard, protected, and will continue to be amplified.

Those receiving grants were selected from a pool of competitive applications submitted by Tibetans who are implementing their projects during the 2026 calendar year.

The Rowell Fund board members Grace and Mariah Cushman said, “As members of the Board of the Rowell Fund for Tibet, and as the nieces of Galen Rowell and Barbara Cushman Rowell, we are deeply proud and humbled to continue their legacy. This year’s grant recipients are an inspiring group of entrepreneurs, artists, and activists whose work reflects creativity, resilience, and impact. We are honored to support them through these grants and look forward to the contributions they will continue to make in Tibet and the greater Tibetan diaspora!”

The Rowell Fund, managed by the International Campaign for Tibet, honors the legacy of Galen and Barbara Rowell, lifelong supporters of Tibet who tragically passed away in 2002. Since its founding, the fund has distributed over $700,000 to Tibetan-led projects worldwide, empowering communities and preserving Tibetan culture, language and heritage.

  1. Enhancing Inside Tibet News Coverage
    • Recipient: Pema Tso
    • Location: India
    • Description: This project aims to strengthen the flow of reliable information from inside Tibet by introducing a fair compensation system for news contributors. By providing meaningful financial incentives, it encourages more reporters to gather and share critical updates.


  2. Smart Records, Better Care: Transforming Sera Mey Health Center
    • Recipient: Tenzin Dechen
    • Location: India
    • Description: Serving over 10,000 patients annually, Sera Mey Health Center provides free and subsidized healthcare to Tibetan and neighboring Indian communities. Funding from the Rowell Fund will help support the replacement the center’s paper-based records with a simple electronic medical record (EMR) system, improving patient care, administrative and clinical support. Staff will be trained to use the system, ensuring safer, faster and more efficient services.


  3. School Media Clubs & Citizen Journalism Workshop
    • Recipient: Kalsang Jigme
    • Location: India
    • Description: This project will provide five-day journalism workshops at five Tibetan schools to train student media clubs in journalism basics, media ethics, reporting techniques, photography and videography, editing skills and storytelling strategies. Students will produce short documentaries while gaining practical media skills. This project will empower young Tibetans to document their communities, strengthen grassroots media and promote Tibetan narratives.


  4. Books and Beyond: Engaging Young Minds
    • Recipient: Tenzin Lhamo
    • Location: India
    • Description: The Rowell Fund will support educational and creative programming at the Karchung Library, transforming it into a vibrant community hub for children and families. Through literacy activities, parent engagement and youth programs, the initiative promotes reading, learning and creativity while laying the foundation for future public libraries across Tibetan settlements.


  5. Empowering Women Through Stitching
    • Recipient: Tenzin Youdon
    • Location: India
    • Description: This project by Youdon Designs aims to empower women in the Tibetan and Himalayan communities through online training in tailoring and traditional dressmaking. The program includes scholarships, sustainable fashion practices, and small-scale entrepreneurship training. By preserving cultural heritage and providing marketable skills, the project empowers women with economic independence, and sustainable livelihoods.


  6. Ocean of Wisdom School
    • Recipient: Ngawang Dolker
    • Location: United States of America
    • Description: Ocean of Wisdom School is a new public charter school in Minnesota dedicated to integrating contemplative wisdom and Tibetan cultural heritage into rigorous, inclusive K–8 education. OWS represents a groundbreaking model that brings together Tibetan language and culture, modern educational innovation and community engagement to nurture resilient, compassionate and globally aware young people. The Rowell Fund will directly support Tibetan language and cultural programming during the school’s inaugural implementation phase. This includes curriculum development, recruitment and training of Tibetan language instructors, community cultural events and integration of Tibetan perspectives into SEE Learning activities.


  7. Documenting the Destruction of Tibetan Architectural Heritage Using Aerial and Satellite Photography
    • Recipient: Tenzin Nyandak
    • Location: United States of America
    • Description: This project will use declassified aerial and satellite imagery to document the destruction and rebuilding of Tibetan monasteries since the 1990s. Support from the Rowell Fund will make possible the return to NARA for high-resolution rescanning, acquisition of additional Corona and Hexagon images, and the creation of a public online database that will preserve these rare materials for generations. Through this effort, documentation of monasteries long erased from Tibet’s landscape will be preserved, as well as the history of their destruction. By creating a public online archive, it preserves rare visual evidence of cultural loss and provides scholars and the Tibetan community with verified historical documentation of Tibet’s architectural heritage. By pairing technical image recovery with scholarly analysis, Studio Nyandak will produce the first resource to systematically trace the destruction of entire Tibetan monastic campuses over time.


  8. Tibet Express: Outreach and Literature Project
    • Recipient: Lobsang Tenchoe
    • Location: India
    • Description: This two-part initiative strengthens civic engagement and cultural preservation. Funding will support grassroots Tibetan election coverage across India with the aim to strengthen democratic participation among Tibetan settlements through community engagement, civic discussions and awareness campaigns. In addition, the Rowell Fund will help support the publication of a new book by a Tibetan writer living inside Tibet.


  9. Munpa Rabsel
    • Recipient: Tenzin Norgyal
    • Location: India
    • Description: Munpa Rabsel is an online education platform that empowers Buddhist nuns in building professional skills in digital media, teaching methodology and content production. The project provides training, equipment and stipends to produce Tibetan language lessons, Buddhist teachings and cultural content. Funding from the Rowell Fund will help support building the organization’s digital infrastructure and begin operations.


  10. Anonymous
    • Recipient: Confidential
    • Location: Confidential

The Rowell Fund for Tibet and the International Campaign for Tibet congratulate this year’s grant recipients and thank all applicants for their dedication to advancing and contributing towards making an impact for their Tibetan communities.

The Advisory Board includes John Ackerly, Conrad Anker, Bob and Beth Cushman, Grace Cushman, Mariah Cushman, Terri Baker, Bob Palais, and John Jancik.

To learn more about the Rowell Fund for Tibet or to make a donation, please visit www.savetibet.org/rowellfund.