Hemera Contemplative Fellowship Programs
The Hemera Foundation has partnered with Zen Mountain Monastery to provide financial support for retreats at the Monastery. These fellowships are available to professionals with a passion for service. The aim is to help make the unique benefits of a contemplative sitting practice in a retreat context more accessible to those wishing to bring a contemplative approach to their working lives. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and working full-time in their field or in an approved graduate program.
Below are examples of eligible fellows:
- Educators: pre-K through college.
- School administrators and staff: principals, guidance counselors, advisors, nurses, librarians, and school safety officers.
- Health care professionals: Physicians, nurses, orderlies, medical technicians, dentists, psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, chaplains, medical school students, and hospice staff.
- Artists: full-time visual, performance, writers, multi-disciplinary artists.
- First responders: police, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, disaster response teams.
- Military: active duty, reservists, and veterans.
- Others:
— public defenders, legal aid attorneys, victim advocates, human rights advocates;
— employees working for any 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or private foundation;
— employees working in direct human services, child protective services, workforce development.
General Eligibility
- Those who are new to meditation, have not attended a retreat longer than two nights, or are new to Zen Mountain Monastery are eligible for 75% support.
- Those with previous meditation retreat experience are eligible for 50% support.
- Those in financial need are eligible for 100% support.
- Financial support is limited to one fellowship per individual per calendar year.
- Fellowships are available on a first-come, first-served basis based on eligibility.