Tibetan Nuns Project (TNP) was founded in 1987 to provide education and humanitarian aid to refugee nuns from Tibet and the Himalayan regions of India. Tibetan Nuns Project began when a group of 66 nuns appeared in Dharamsala, India. The 66 women had walked across the Himalayas from eastern Tibet to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's newly adopted homeland in northern India. They knew no one and were exhausted and ill. They wearily camped out in downtown Dharmsala, hoping their long journey was near the end.

The Tibetan community immediately responded: Tibetan Women's Association organized emergency assistance to provide their basic needs and the Tibetan Nuns Project was born. Working with the Tibetan Women's Association and the Tibetan Government in Exile Department of Religion and Culture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, TNP sought to find a long-term solution to the problem of how to secure housing, medical care, and and most importantly, education for refugee nuns. A sponsorship program was created that continues to generate worldwide support.

Today, TNP sponsors over 650 nuns. TNP has established two nunneries [Shugsep and Dolma Ling] and provides sponsorship support for the nuns of Geden Choeling and Tilokpur in Dharmasala. Other building and housing projects include Sherab Choeling Nunnery in LaHaul-Spiti. More room is always needed for newly arrived nuns seeking aid and asylum.