At the Retreat Center, financial assistance is offered in two forms – scholarships for online and residential courses, and also You Choose fee options for certain retreats (see our schedule).
Scholarships
Registration fees support the Insight Meditation Society’s work online and at our physical retreat centers in Barre, MA.
For Online Courses: Scholarships are available! We welcome you to reach out; nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, please email imsonline@dharma.org.
IMS offers a scholarship rate for residential retreats. We recommend that you apply for financial assistance as early as possible, as these resources are limited. Scholarships are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and are generally restricted to one per person, per year, at each center (Retreat Center and Forest Refuge). Please note that the Three-Month Retreat is considered separately.
However, don’t let finances stop you from registering for a course! If you’re a senior on a fixed income or need financial assistance for any reason in order to attend an IMS retreat, we warmly encourage you to apply. While we cannot guarantee that every application will result in a scholarship, we will do our best to help you attend a Retreat Center course.
You Choose fee option
Rates for the following annual Retreat Center courses are on a You Choose basis: Monastic, BIPOC, for experienced meditators who are people of color, and 18-32 Year Olds. “You Choose” means that you can establish your own retreat fee, based on your financial means. For 2025 courses, a minimum of $35 per night is required. Paying more, however, allows IMS to continue offering financial aid to as many people as possible.
No financial assistance application is necessary when registering for any of these three retreats.
From time to time, and on fairly short notice, we may offer a limited number of You Choose fee spaces for other retreats – please check our Retreat Center schedule for availability. Note that you log into your IMS Portal to register.
Thanks to generous donations, IMS is offering a limited number of places in either Part 1 or Part 2 of the 2025 Three-Month Retreat on a You Choose fee basis. These are specifically for BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) and young adults (18-32 year olds) who meet the practice requirements for these longer-term retreats.
Fund for Formerly Incarcerated People
Thanks to generous donors, funds are available for formerly incarcerated people to attend IMS retreats at no cost. For further information or to register, please emailregistration@dharma.org.
Deposit
All retreats require a deposit on registering, even if you are applying for financial assistance. Please refer to theRetreat Center schedulefor specific deposit amounts.
Financial Assistance Application
For all of our scholarship rates, simply select the rate that works best for you when you register. For some of our special rates, email registration@dharma.org with your request.
Additional Resources
Hemera Foundation Scholarships
Thanks to a generous grant from the Hemera Foundation, financial support through this program is available to anyone with a self-identified financial need. Check our Retreat Center schedule to see which retreats offer Hemera funding. Funding is calculated at 50% to 75 % of the Sustaining Rate of the retreat cost, which represents the actual cost to IMS, including room and board. Scholarships are limited to one per individual per calendar year. Hemera scholarships do not include compensation for the teachings. There is an opportunity to offer donations to theteachersand toIMSat the end of each retreat.
To apply, please complete the application and email it to registration@dharma.org. Since funds are limited, scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you are awarded a scholarship, you will be notified by IMS Registration within two weeks of your application date. We ask that you commit to attending the entire retreat. If you have to cancel, it is important that you notify IMS right away.
Open Dharma Foundation
Open Dharma Foundation is a scholarship fund for silent meditation retreats. It exists in order to provide individuals from all over the world with scholarships for silent meditation retreats who without financial aid would be unable to access sustained, intensive practice. If you are someone interested in meditation who wants to explore the depths of practice available through silent retreat and are in need of financial assistance, the Open Dharma Foundation may be able to help.
For more information and to review the application process: Open Dharma
(Please note: IMS does not handle any portion of the application or grant process. Please direct all inquiries to Open Dharma Foundation.)
