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CIRCLE Inc

Victor, NY · EIN 161470395 · Form 990EZ · FY2020 · NTEE B99 · Education · Micro (<$100K) · circleinc.org
revenue
$69
expenses
$851
net assets
$23K
employees
mission · from form 990

Educational programs that promote good relationship with self, others, community and Earth

profile · synthesized from sources

CIRCLE Inc is a New York-based nonprofit organization founded in 1994 that offers educational programs centered on seasonal Earth celebrations and spiritual community gatherings. The organization fosters holistic personal growth through ceremonies, storytelling, drumming, and ritual practices that honor the cycles of nature and promote interconnectedness with self, community, and Earth. Activities are rooted in indigenous-inspired traditions and are open to all participants regardless of background.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Earth Celebrations
Seasonal community gatherings marking solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days with drumming, dancing, storytelling, and ceremonial rituals to honor Earth's cycles
Grandmother Lodge
Monthly gathering of elder women dedicated to wisdom-sharing and spiritual leadership, maintaining the North altar in ceremonies
Healing Circle
Monthly community gathering focused on collective healing through shared intention, prayer, and ceremonial practice
Maiden Circle / Young Braves
Youth programs initiated in 1996 and 1998 respectively to support spiritual development and rites of passage for young people
Men’s Circle
Group for men to engage in spiritual discussion, ceremony, and mutual support, maintaining the East altar in CIRCLE ceremonies
Women’s Circle
Weekly or monthly gatherings for women focused on spiritual growth, shared ceremony, and community building through talking circles, drumming, and sacred art
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Spiritual Development & Meditation Programs 3 activities
    • Hosts annual and seasonal retreats and camps
      Organizes annual vision quest camps for women and men, community camps, and retreats including Changing Woman Camps, Maiden and Teen Camp, Family Camp, and Moon Lodge Retreats, along with seasonal Earth holiday celebrations.
    • Hosts monthly Circles for spiritual and personal growth
      Organizes monthly Women’s Circles, Men’s Circles, Grandmother Lodge gatherings, and Shamanic Practice Circles focused on spiritual growth through singing, drumming, ritual, shamanic journeying, and shared learning.
    • Offers holistic educational and community programs
      Provides classes, groups, and gatherings focused on well-being in self, relationships, community, and ecosystem, including storytelling, drumming, song, dance, creative expression, and seasonal celebrations.
  • Community Space Provision 1 activity
    • Maintains facilities and gardens to support programming
      Operates community rooms, a gathering space, gardens, a greenhouse, and a large kitchen to support educational, spiritual, and food-related programs.
  • After-School Academic and Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Provides children’s and youth programs for emotional and spiritual development
      Offers a monthly community program for children ages 3–13 and caregivers featuring storytelling, drumming, song, dance, and creative expression; also operates Earth School with after-school programs and curricular materials focused on living in harmony with Earth.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
    • Provides need-based scholarships for participation
      Offers work scholarships and financial support to assist individuals in need to participate in organizational activities and programs.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2020
revenue
Total revenue$69
Contributions & grants$69100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$851
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out
balance sheet
Total assets$23K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$23K
1 years on record · 2020–2020
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2020

Who runs it

board members · 4
  • Adena Sho Shoun — Board Member
  • Gary Graves — Board Member
  • Janice McNamara — Board Member
  • Tracy Bell — Board Member
relationships · 6

Who they work with

  • Brooke Medicine Eagle Partner — Workshop leader whose teachings inspired the formation of CIRCLE and its early community practices.
  • Earth School Partner — Children's program offered through CCC that teaches skills for living in harmony with Earth.
  • Grandmother Lodge Partner — Responsible for maintaining the North altar during CIRCLE ceremonies.
  • Maidens, Young Braves, and Teens Partner — Responsible for maintaining the South altar during CIRCLE ceremonies.
  • Men’s Circle Partner — Responsible for maintaining the East altar during CIRCLE ceremonies.
  • Women’s Circle Partner — Responsible for maintaining the West altar during CIRCLE ceremonies.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Ceremonial Transition and Reconnection
    methodology: ceremonial_reconnection
    By using ceremonial practices such as initiation, naming, smudging, and directional invocations, the organization marks life transitions and restores connection to self and sacred energy, because ritual creates psychological and spiritual closure that supports personal and collective transformation.
  • Earth-Centered Spiritual Community Model
    methodology: earth-centered_spiritual_community
    By organizing community around an Earth-centered spiritual framework, the organization fosters holistic connection between self, others, and the environment, because shared spiritual cosmology and ritual practice deepen belonging and collective transformation.
  • Experiential Learning for Spiritual Growth
    methodology: experiential_learning_curriculum
    By guiding participants through a structured experiential curriculum (EASE: exploration, experience, expression, evolution), the organization cultivates deep personal and communal transformation, because lived experience in nature and group settings enables insight and integration that intellectual learning alone cannot achieve.
  • Gift Economy for Community Access
    methodology: gift_economy
    By operating programs through a gift economy rather than transactional exchange, the organization fosters reciprocity and reduces barriers to access, because removing financial obligation cultivates trust and encourages contribution based on spiritual alignment rather than economic capacity.
  • Small Group Community Model
    methodology: small_group_community_model
    By using intentionally small groups of eight people, the organization creates safe containers for deep interpersonal work, because intimacy and trust in small cohorts enable vulnerability, mirroring, and spiritual growth that larger groups cannot support.