THE BHUTAN FOUNDATION
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Mission Statement
The Bhutan Foundation wants to enable all Bhutanese to reach their full potential by building local capacity and facilitating global support. In doing so, we envision a Bhutan that is a progressive democratic society strengthened by Gross National Happiness (GNH) values.
About This Cause
The mission of the Bhutan Foundation is to serve the people of Bhutan in living and sharing the principle of Gross National Happiness. We appreciate the values of the Bhutanese intention: measuring “happiness” as the highest attribute of all decision-making. We contribute to strategies of conservation of the environment, equitable and sustainable development, good governance, and preservation of culture in Bhutan. The Bhutan Foundation serves as the only American not-for-profit organization that is wholly focused on the benefit of the country and people of Bhutan, bridging understanding between our two countries and beyond. Founded in 1986, the Bhutan Foundation operated at a low level until it was reactivated in 2006 with a new board of directors. Currently we have 17 board members (3 Bhutanese and 14 Americans) (9 women and 8 men). Her Majesty Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck and Ambassador Frank Wisner are co-chairs of the board. All members are volunteers except for the president who is also an employee of the foundation. The Foundation has raised over $12 million since it was reactivated and now has eleven full time staff. The projected revenue for the current financial year of 2015 is $2 million. The foundation spends on average 10 percent of its revenue on overhead. We maintain two offices, one in Washington DC and one in Thimphu Bhutan. Our Thimphu office is provided rent-free. Of our eleven staff, two are Americans and nine are Bhutanese. Five staff have undergraduate degrees and five staff have or are in the process of getting graduate degrees (2 doctorates and 2 masters). The Bhutan Foundation works through our partner organizations to implement projects in four program areas (conservation of the environment, equitable and sustainable development, good governance, and preservation of culture). We focus on critical gaps identified in close consultation with our partners. For example in the field of education we identified access to education for all as a critical gap and initiated a program in special education with the Ministry of Education and local partner CSOs. Similarly, we found monitoring environmental change as a critical gap and initiated programs with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and the Environment (UWICE) to undertake population assessments of endangered species and measure the impact of climate change on Bhutan’s glaciers. Our partners include both government and nongovernmental civil society organizations (CSOs). By working through local partners we also build capacity within Bhutan. We currently support over 60 projects working with 45 local partners and international organizations. The Bhutan Foundation also works to increase knowledge and understanding of Bhutan in the United States and elsewhere through events, lectures and other forms of outreach.