The Rowell Fund for Tibet’s Advisory Board has awarded $26,000 in grants to support eight distinctive projects for 2025. These projects aim to preserve Tibetan culture and heritage in the face of contemporary challenges. These include efforts to protect Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Zanskar from climate change through climate-resilient preservation strategies, document the contributions of Tibetan women to democracy through a bilingual book and documentary, empower Tibetan nomadic women in exile through sustainable entrepreneurship, and promote the Tibetan language and culture through educational programs. Each project, supported by the Rowell Fund, plays a vital role in safeguarding Tibetan cultural and spiritual heritage, empowering future generations, and ensuring the longevity of these invaluable traditions.
The grants, ranging from $3,000 to $3,500, were selected from a pool of competitive applications submitted by Tibetans working in numerous diverse fields covered by the grant. Each project will be implemented during the 2025 calendar year.
“The Rowell Fund Board of Advisors is thrilled that the fund endures to support important work by Tibetans, even though some of its members have passed away. This year, we lost David Breashears who summited Everest five times without injury and now the Advisory Board carries on his spirit too, along with former Advisors Tony Rowell and Nicole Ryan,” said John Ackerly, one of the Fund’s founders.
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 projects, dedicated to empowering Tibetan communities worldwide.
The 2025 grants include the following projects:
- Community-Led Empowerment: Sustainable Entrepreneurial Initiative by Tibetan Drokpa Women in Exile
- Recipient: Tashi Wangmo
- Location: India
- Description: This project, led by Tibetan nomadic women in Ladakh, will establish a sustainable entrepreneurial center in Ladakh, built with locally sourced materials. The center will provide tools and training for women to create eco-friendly products, supporting both their livelihoods and environmental sustainability.
- TCV School Photography Club
- Recipient: Tenzin Lhawang
- Location: India
- Description: Establishment of a video news production section at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV), empowering Tibetan students with technical and communication skills in multimedia production. This initiative will enhance learning through interactive experiences and enable students to document co-curricular activities, cultural events, and Tibetan heritage.
- Phayul’s Features/Investigative Reporting
- Recipient: Tenzin Nyidon
- Location: India
- Description: An initiative by Phayul, a leading English-language news outlet in the Tibetan diaspora, to transition into investigative and feature reporting. This initiative aims to move beyond event-based coverage by exploring complex issues within the exile Tibetan community, including the Central Tibetan Administration, civil society, and political discourse, delivering in-depth and meaningful reporting that enhances understanding of the dynamics within the diaspora.
- Documenting Tibetan Nomadic Textile
- Recipient: Dawa Dolma
- Location: India
- Description: Documentation and preservation of traditional Tibetan nomadic textile practices, which reflect the cultural heritage and artistry of Tibetan nomadic communities in Jangthang, Ladakh. Through field research, interviews, and photographic documentation, the initiative will capture artisans’ techniques and stories while emphasizing the cultural significance of these textiles. By creating exhibitions, a digital repository, and an inventory of methods and narratives, the project aims to engage diverse audiences and ensure the preservation of this tradition for future generations amidst modern and environmental challenges.
- Pastoralist, Climate Change, and Survival of Cultural Community
- Recipient: Dr. Sonam Topgyal
- Location: India
- Description: A photo story addressing the impact of climate change on Tibetan pastoralist communities. This series aims to document the decline of a thousand-year-old pastoral tradition among Tibetans, whose way of life is increasingly challenged by climate change, market economies, and modern education. The project will focus on their resilience, survival, and adaptation in the face of these challenges, offering a glimpse into a rapidly changing reality for future generations.
- Women of Tibet: Pioneers of Democracy
- Recipient: Lharong
- Location: India
- Description: This project honors 113 Tibetan women who have shaped Tibetan democracy since 1960, through a bilingual pictorial book and documentary. The book will highlight their roles in governance and be distributed within the Tibetan diaspora. Dedicated to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the project aims to fill a historical gap, empowering future generations of Tibetan women.
- Radiocarbon Dating Analysis for the Climate-Resilient Preservation of Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries in Zanskar, Ladakh
- Recipient: Tenzin Nyandak
- Location: United States
- Description: The Tibetan Buddhist monasteries of Zanskar, Ladakh, are facing climate change threats, including temperature fluctuations, increased precipitation, and rising tourism. Studio Nyandak, working pro-bono under Zanskar’s Executive Commissioner, is conducting preservation efforts to protect these historic structures. In May 2024, the team assessed six monasteries, collecting wood samples for radiocarbon dating to inform climate-resilient renovations. The Rowell Fund grant will fund the analysis of 19 samples, providing vital data for preservation strategies and ensuring the long-term protection of these cultural and spiritual heritage sites.
- Tibetan Language and Cultural Education for Tibetan Refugee and Himalayan Youth
- Recipient: Geshe Gyaltsen Tsering
- Location: India
- Description: A program promoting Tibetan language and cultural education for refugee and Himalayan youth. Shide Association is dedicated to preserving Tibetan language and cultural heritage through free language and cultural education. With support from the Rowell Fund, Shide will expand its efforts to teach Tibetan to Himalayan youth in Dharamshala and abroad.
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 Tibetan communities.
The Advisory Board includes John Ackerly, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Bob and Beth Cushman, Grace Cushman, John Jancik, Terri Baker, Bob Palais, and Forrest Ryan.
To learn more about the Rowell Fund for Tibet or to make a donation, please visit www.savetibet.org/rowellfund