Kicking off the 2026 Sustaining Supporter Drive
Today kicks off of our 2026 Sustaining Supporter Drive!
Over the next six weeks, we’ll be sharing stories from Sangha members-personal moments that reveal what KCC has offered them, and how those experiences inspire their ongoing support of our shared dharma center. This first week, we start with a quote from our dear Judatha from a recent gathering:
“I’m Judatha, I came to KCC first in 2003, and I was pretty sad at the time, and confused, and tumbled into KCC at Monroe because I had met Shar Edwards who used to be here and was a member at that time. I just found community – a ready-made community – of people genuinely wanting to become more compassionate and more helpful in the world, and I did too.
So at that time I came as much as I could, meditated with Lama Michael, twice on Sundays, and sat retreats. I found a lot of support for the practice, and a lot of inspiration to study and to practice… and I found that the practice, in David’s words, “works”—that’s really inspiring. I keep coming back because this is like home to me now.”
KCC is committed to freely offering the Dharma to all.
To make this possible, we practice a model of mutual support: we invite those with greater financial capacity to give a higher percentage of their income, balancing the contributions of those who can give less.
Here are a few examples of how you might structure your pledge:
Sustaining support is tax deductible as KCC is a U.S. tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. If you would like to customize your giving plan, or have questions about donating, please contact Cynthia at .
The Dharma of Dollars: Sustaining Our Future
For over 50 years, KCC’s leadership has kept our organization debt-free. Because of this mindful stewardship, we own both the Portland Center and the SCOL retreat center outright. A financially stable KCC is a valuable gift that the Sangha of today can preserve for the practitioners of tomorrow.
Recurring contributions are the financial backbone of our community. If you have felt the transformative benefit of what KCC offers, we invite you to:
Become a Sustaining Supporter
-or-
Increase your current monthly contribution.
To ensure KCC remains resilient and equitable, the KCC Board recently completed a comprehensive financial study. The findings highlighted two areas that require our collective care:
Caring for our Staff: Most of our dedicated staff are currently paid below a thriving wage. A successful campaign will allow us to provide vital cost-of-living increases in 2027.
Caring for our Spaces: We estimate $300,000 in necessary maintenance, repairs, and capital replacements over the next 10-years to preserve our centers.
As we celebrate KCC’s 50th anniversary, we honor the generosity of those who sustained this center before us. Extending our generosity today helps KCC continue to freely offer the Dharma, care for the community and facilities that support our practice, and pass this gift on to future practitioners.
Other Ways to Support KCC
Beyond recurring pledges, you can deeply impact KCC through:
- Volunteering: Offering your time, skills, and energy. To learn more about volunteering at our dharma center and retreat land, click here.
- Legacy & Planned Giving: Remembering KCC in your estate planning. For more information, click here.
- IRA Distributions: Directing Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) to KCC. For more information, click here.
KCC’s Benevolence Fund: Interconnected Care
Generosity flows in many directions. If offering financial support is not possible for you in your current season of life, please remember that KCC is also here to support you.
You can request basic life support through a one-time grant from KCC’s Benevolence Fund. Our Sangha contributes to this fund because we know that we are all interconnected and are unaffected when a member of our community is struggling. To learn more, contact .
For non-financial assistance, such as help with meals and rides to and from medical appointments, please contact KCC’s Needs & Care Group.
