Grateful Living 2025 Annual Report

Quick Links: Community Impact – Course – Pathways – Gatherings – Retreat – Fundraising – Preview of 2026

25th Anniversary of grateful.org

Milestones are opportunities to remember and to look ahead. During our 25th Anniversary year, we gave thanks for the hands, hearts, and minds of everyone who carried us to this moment. It is through their dedication and contributions that we arrived at this celebratory year. 

A quarter of a century ago a simple idea was born: living gratefully has the power to transform not just individual lives, but entire communities and society itself. Here at Grateful Living, we are fortunate to have a front row seat to witness this transformation throughout our vibrant community.

In reflecting on the urgent needs of the world today, we know our work is far from complete. So we embraced the opportunity to look ahead at the next ten years. This past summer, the board of directors and staff engaged in deep discernment work and strategized ways to ensure Grateful Living remains a global resource for the next generation of seekers and practitioners. Our discernment work is setting us on a path for increased partnerships, growing our programs, stewarding the scholarship of Br. David Steindl-Rast, returning to more in-person programming, and continuing our legacy as the global voice of a grateful movement.

We recently had the opportunity to hear from nearly 3,000 community members who shared the impact of our mission and the practice of living gratefully on their lives. You, our community, are the primary guidepost for our current and continued work. It is a gift for each member of this team to fulfill our mission in service to those who seek a more grateful life. In this annual impact report, you will read stories and data highlights that affirm the ongoing importance of our shared work. 

In this celebratory year, we distilled fifty years of Br. David’s scholarship into a foundational course: The Anatomy of Gratefulness: Say Yes to Life. A comprehensive path, including principles and practices, have been put forward and taught for current and future practitioners with the help of Br. David himself. New Pathways were offered to deepen your exploration of all that living gratefully comprises. More than 500 people were trained as Grateful Gathering hosts, taking our grateful movement to living rooms, coffee shops, places of worship, and even a few breweries. 

During a year when wars, disease, starvation, and moral plight have caused so many to lose hope, we witnessed an alternative response to these realities throughout this community. And we worked hard to ensure we provided you with the resources, programs, and practices needed to co-create a more just, compassionate, and grateful world. There is no network — no interdependent web of change — without you and your commitment to this transformative practice. And for this, we conclude 2025 offering our heartfelt thanks.

Gratefully yours,

Joe Primo
CEO, Grateful Living

Community Impact

121k

Email subscribers

7.3k

Community Platform members

266k

Social media followers

In 2025, we heard directly from nearly 3,000 members of our Grateful Living community about all of the ways this practice has transformed their lives for the better. The responses to our 2025 Community Impact survey illuminated how Grateful Living positively impacts physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being; provides a sense of community; helps thousands of practitioners around the world start their day with a grateful orientation; leads to increased resilience in the face of difficulties; and provides tools that can change the world. 93% agreed that living gratefully has enhanced their perspective, 89% feel more joy as a result of living gratefully, and 90% say that living gratefully has added meaning to their life.

We also added to our library of free resources, where 1,500,000 people visited our collection of essays, daily practices, and social media content designed to uplift, inspire, and empower. Here are a few of our most popular resources from 2025:

Living gratefully is one of the tools that has helped me recover emotionally and spiritually from a serious cancer diagnosis this past year.

Kay H.

When I am facing something particularly difficult, I gravitate towards Grateful Living for support. I would say that you are definitely a significant part of my support system.

Maryann R.

I feel less alone in the world knowing there is a community of like-minded souls who recognize the depth and possibilities of living gratefully.

Paul W.

Grateful Living is a constant and ongoing reminder and inspiration for me to live with hope, joy and compassion.

Mary Y.

Grateful Living is a daily blessing in my life. Even after 10 years, I still marvel that there is such an organization.

Tom R.

Our New Foundational Course Explored the Roots, Research + Daily Practice of Living Gratefully

The Anatomy of Gratefulness: Say Yes to Life manifested our dream of creating a foundational course to inspire, guide, and deepen participants’ ability to live a grateful life. Rooted in scholarship and spiritual wisdom, The Anatomy of Gratefulness explores how gratefulness is both an orientation to life and a daily practice. Along with over 200 participants, we explored five key principles of living gratefully, the latest research on the benefits of gratitude, and the importance of daily practice and taking action on behalf of what we cherish. The four-week course, taught by Joe Primo and Sheryl Chard, was enhanced by three renowned guests: gratitude researcher Dr. Joel Wong, historian and preacher Dr. Diana Butler Bass, and our beloved founder and the grandfather of gratitude Br. David Steindl-Rast.

  • 100% of participants reported an increased understanding of how to live gratefully
  • 100% reported an increased understanding of the foundational gratefulness practice, Stop.Look.Go
  • 96% said they would recommend the course; look for the on-demand version in 2026!

My wife and I have a baby on the way, and I want my little family to live in a more grateful world. And that, of course, starts with me! I’m learning so much from this course. Thanks for taking gratitude seriously.

Duncan H.

Our Four Grateful Living Pathways Inspired Thousands

We welcomed nearly 4,000 participants to our 2025 Pathways series. Our 5-day Pathways are designed to deepen understanding of specific grateful living principles and offer inspiration and tools for daily practice. This year’s series included three new foundational offerings that explored gratefulness as a daily spiritual practice that compels us to take action in the world: Enliven Your Spirit, Stop.Look.Go, and Awaken Your Revolutionary Spirit. To celebrate Br. David Steindl-Rast’s 99th birthday in July, we also offered Reclaim Play free of charge to all seeking a bit more play in their lives!

  • 97% of participants in all Pathways reported an increased sense of gratitude for the people and things in their lives
  • 97% found the daily resources meaningful and enriching
  • 94% reported having a better week as a result of participating in a Pathway
  • 100% reported that the Stop.Look.Go provided tools for living a meaningful and fulfilling life
  • 96% reported that Reclaim Play enhanced their perspective
  • 100% reported that Awaken Your Revolutionary Spirit increased their sense of possibility

Not only will I integrate the practices into my personal devotion, I plan to incorporate the wisdom of this Pathway as I convey understandings of gratitude with those I serve as an interfaith/inter-spirituality chaplain.

Dianne O.

Grateful Gatherings Experienced Another Year of Unprecedented Growth

Grateful Gatherings grew by over 100% this past year. In early 2025, we welcomed over 500 people to the Grateful Gatherings Host Training, resulting in the launch of over 140 brand new Gatherings. Grateful Gatherings take place in people’s homes, as well as in community spaces, retreat centers, places of worship, online, and occasionally in coffee shops or over dinner! To support Grateful Gatherings hosts, we continue to provide monthly resources, facilitation guides, and quarterly live online meetings. In 2025, we offered 12 new and updated Grateful Gatherings resource collections, adding to what will result in a three-year curriculum. Learn more about Grateful Gatherings here.

Hosting and participating in Grateful Gatherings has helped me to feel like I do make a difference in the world.  I feel like this is one way to help change the consciousness of the human world from competition and survival to collaboration, learning, and compassion.  I experience genuine contentment in that.

Alicia A.

I always, always feel so much better in my being after our monthly session. Imagine a world if we all met with beautiful strangers and discussed life’s most meaningful topics.

Karen W.

What makes Grateful Gatherings unique is the emphasis on experience and openness. We don’t expect other participants to believe in a religious doctrine or follow a specific teacher or have knowledge about a specific topic. This creates an atmosphere of equality where each participant can speak from their heart and experience.

John C.

I am so thankful, so grateful to be included in this program and wish to spread it around more so that others can feel what I am feeling. I always long for more.

Stephanie M.

As a retired teacher and practitioner of gratitude, I jumped at the opportunity to facilitate a Grateful Gathering. Not only has this brought the members of our small community together, it has also given my life a renewed purpose.

Sue W.

Our Annual Revolution of the Heart Retreat Offered Inspiration & Tools for Living into the New Year

Our annual online, year-end retreat brought together 120 people for a sacred ingathering of the past year and an exploration of how the practice of living gratefully can guide us into the year ahead with intention and presence. We gathered from Friday evening through midday Saturday, and the retreat included small-group conversations, optional early-morning yoga, and a retreat workbook full of guided practices and reflection questions, poetry, essays, and video links.

  • 100% of participants shared that Revolution of the Heart empowered them to cross into the New Year with greater intention and clarity
  • 100% reported that the retreat increased their sense of gratitude for the blessings in their life
  • 100% shared that the retreat helped them slow down and pay attention to their heart

The retreat provided me with great hope — that I can truly let go of grievances and pain of this last year, and know that I have the light and beauty in myself to move forward to a more fulfilled and joyful place.

Lynn M.

Fundraising

As a nonprofit organization dependent on the generosity of donors, we are committed to ensuring our financial health with the excellent stewardship of resources while also meeting an increased demand for our programs. Grateful Living is not possible without the generosity of every donor.

In 2025, we raised $670,675 with thanks to those who live gratefully and give gratefully. Approximately 60% of participants in our programs required scholarships, which totaled more than $50,000. Every dollar given helped us ensure our commitment to accessible programming. 

10,368 people donated and supported our shared work. Of these, 36% were returning donors from 2024, and more than 700 of them increased their donations compared to the previous year. 1,473 people became new donors to Grateful Living.

We particularly want to recognize the 383 people who commit to supporting Grateful Living all year long as Monthly Donors. 

Our programs are 100% privately funded, which means we do not receive federal funds. We exist 100% thanks to you.

Want to make a lasting impact? Consider joining the Br. David Legacy Circle by adding Grateful Living to your estate planning. Contact [email protected] to learn more. If Grateful Living is in your will, please let us know so we can express our thanks. 

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Preview of 2026

Celebrating 100 Years of Gratefulness

2026 marks another important milestone in our history as we launch programming, products, and more in celebration of Br. David’s 100th birthday. Look forward to brand new offerings throughout the year to mark the occasion.

New Tools and Programs to Support Your Daily Practice

Workshops, in-person retreats, and new tools for deepening your daily practice are just a few of the brand new experiences we’ll be launching throughout 2026. Make sure you’re subscribed to our emails to be among the first to know about our newest programs and daily practice offerings. Sign up here.