Support The Retreat Safety Project
The Retreat Safety Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to bring safety, transparency, and accountability to an industry that has none of those things by default. We research, grade, and track incidents at ayahuasca and plant medicine retreat centers worldwide. We publish what we find. We don’t take booking commissions, we don’t sell preferred placement, and we don’t let retreat centers pay for favorable trust grades.
Donations support that independence.
What Donations Fund
- Independent safety research across hundreds of retreat centers worldwide
- The public retreat directory, which remains free of advertising, booking commissions, and pay-for-listing
- Incident tracking and complaint intake for participants reporting harm or misconduct
- Consumer-education content including harm-reduction guides, screening checklists, and pre-retreat resources
- Operational costs including staff training (such as ICEERS AyaSafety certification), legal compliance, and infrastructure
- Indigenous community reciprocity – direct contributions to organizations supporting Amazonian communities whose traditions and plant knowledge made the modern ayahuasca industry possible
How to Donate
The Retreat Safety Project is the only independent watchdog for the ayahuasca and plant medicine retreat industry – an industry with no regulatory oversight, no licensing requirements, and no consumer protection standards.
We track over 400 retreat centers worldwide and are adding more everyday. Every listing on BestRetreats.co includes independently researched safety evaluations, incident reports, and trust grades – free of charge to seekers, free of advertising, free of booking commissions.
Your donation funds:
- Independent safety research across hundreds of retreat centers
- Continuous incident tracking and complaint intake
- Consumer education resources, including harm-reduction guides and screening checklists
- Reciprocity with indigenous Amazonian communities whose traditions and plant knowledge underwrite the modern ayahuasca industry
- Operational costs including staff training through ICEERS’ AyaSafety certification
Reciprocity is central to ethical practice in this space. The modern ayahuasca industry was built on traditions held by Shipibo-Conibo, Asháninka, Cofán, Shuar, Siona, and other Amazonian peoples – communities that often see little of the money the industry generates. We allocate a portion of accreditation fees and donations to organizations supporting these communities directly.
Visit the official donation page on donorbox here
Tax Status
The Retreat Safety Project, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
EIN: 41-5114645
You can verify our tax-exempt status through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search using our EIN or organization name.
Other Ways to Support
If a financial contribution isn’t right for you today, there are other ways to help:
- Report a concerning retreat experience through our incident reporting form. Real reports drive our research.
- Share the directory with people considering a retreat. The work matters most when it reaches participants before they book.
- Tell us if a listing is wrong. Our research is only as good as the information available to us.
- Connect us with industry contacts – facilitators, harm-reduction researchers, journalists, regulators – who care about the same problems.
Reciprocity
The modern ayahuasca industry sits on top of indigenous traditions – primarily Shipibo-Conibo, Asháninka, Cofán, Shuar, and Siona, among others. Most of the industry’s economic value flows away from those communities. We allocate a portion of accreditation fees and donations to organizations doing direct reciprocity work, including ICEERS and partner organizations supporting Amazonian communities. Reciprocity is also part of our accreditation standards: accredited retreat centers must demonstrate meaningful, fairly compensated relationships with the indigenous partners whose practices they use.
Questions
For questions about donating, sponsorship, planned giving, or institutional grants, contact contact@bestretreats.co.
The Retreat Safety Project, Inc. is a Missouri nonprofit corporation, recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3). Federal Tax ID (EIN): 41-5114645. No goods or services are provided to donors in exchange for contributions.