Our Flagship Community Space
From then …
To now !
FAQ’s
WHY should I DONATE TO your crowdfunding campaign? where is the money going? is it helping to purchase a vacation home for personal use?
This project is self-funded and we are continuing to fundraise for the costs that go into running the space (that we purchased/took back from a straight, white, cis man). To learn more about how your donated funds will be used, please visit the crowdfunding page here. Donated funds will also be used to eventually turn the project into a cooperatively owned, Nicaraguan staff-led project.
We have never and don’t ever plan on living in the space, so you also are not donating to us having a personal home.
We hope that you will donate to be part of helping us create a space that feels safe for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC travelers to rest and play without having to make huge considerations for their travels, and also to help foster community-building amongst LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC travelers.
Also in talking to Nicaraguan-born activists, we learned that many queer Nicaraguans fled the country prior to the uprisings in 2018 and haven’t been able to return. We’re hoping that our space can continue to serve as a refuge (a place to stay, work, visit) and safe space for all LGBTQIA2S+ communities, not just those traveling from outside of the country.
why are you fundraising during a pandemic?
We know times are hard for many folks, but we also have faith that our collective networks can support this much needed project. If each person in our network chips in just $10, we will more than surpass our crowdfunding goal.
We are also struggling (financially, with physical and mental health related issues, etc.) but we also know many people that are not. This is not a call to folks to spend their last dollars on our project but rather a call for folks, that are able, to support our vision.
Also, white allies should be stepping up and supporting spaces for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people now more than ever. We saw a huge upswing of support during the uprisings and we are hoping to encourage that momentum in Black + queer-led projects.
Crowdfunding Campaign Update
FUNDRAISING UPDATE (as of April 2024):
Thank you to all who have contributed to our Crowdfunding Campaign thus far!!
With tons of hard work and community support, we finally secured our community flagship space in 2021— a beautiful space filled with light, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For the first year after purchase, we poured tons of love and hard work into visioning for and renovating the space, and welcomed our first guests in March 2022 for Active Season.
We still have plans for:
More renovations + house expenses! We are constantly working to improve the comfort of the space for our guests. Some of the items at the top of our list are a spa + wellness area and a new vehicle for guest shuttles.
Hiring additional staff and paying our current hard-working staff year-end bonuses.
Working with local activists to bridge the gap between our international traveling community and the local queer and trans/GNC communities of Nicaragua.
Please continue to donate to our Crowdfunding Campaign to support. We appreciate all of you very much. Thank you!
Apogeo Guest House’s Crowdfunding Campaign
In 2020, Apogeo Collective launched a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to establish a global presence for our communities— raising $150K to secure a permanent home base location for Apogeo Collective in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua!
In 2021, we were able to open Apogeo Guest House, a private, stand alone location, to host more LGBTQIA+ travelers and travelers of color, expand our offerings to be accessed by our communities year round, and make a meaningful social & economic investment in Nicaragua and the town of San Juan Del Sur.
In our creation process, we’ve worked to make Apogeo Collective a representation of community consensus and collective involvement. This project is just as much yours as it is ours— Apogeo is for all of us. However, up until the launch of our crowdfunding campaign, the project had been self-funded.
With Apogeo Guest House, we are actively creating a place to feel held, safe and secure is critically important, now more than ever. We are living in a time where we have been raised with a pre-existing, generational ingrained narrative of fear, while at the same time living day to day with all of our fears blatantly flaunted in front of us. Finding spaces of calm and ease are an imperative and honestly one of the most important things we can do for our individual and collective self care.
Be a catalyst of change and join Apogeo Collective’s movement to create these spaces for ourselves while expanding our cultural reach and influence. We have created Apogeo as an addition to our collective wellness resources and to inspire expansion and journey. Learn more and donate here.