Dear Kin,

For the past two and a half years we have been able to cover our basic operating costs, while supporting and funding exciting, challenging and low-cost cultural programs initiated by the community, primarily through the significant income we received from renting our space in Los Angeles for private events. Now, without our main source of revenue, the financial impact to NAVEL is immense and undoubtedly putting our resiliency to the test.

Over the next three months we need to raise over $25,000 in order to cover our basic costs, even after we have cut our expenses drastically. To be transparent, we have published a list of the overhead costs necessary to keep the organization alive.

NAVEL is not funded by major donors or a trust fund, and as a young non-profit we are also just getting on the radar of granting organizations. Our survival depends on the solidarity of our growing community of members, supporters, and friends.

If this community holds a special place in your life, and if it is within your current means, please consider making a contribution or becoming a member today.

Make a Contribution | Become a Member

As we’ve been adjusting to our new reality and searching for alternate sources of funding over the past few weeks, we’ve also been busy developing novel ways to fight isolation, responsibly and creatively by extending the deadline to sign up for our ASSEMBLIES program and launching two online initiatives by community members, virtual care lab & The KIN-SHIP. Spurred by our collective quarantine, both platforms offer ways to stay connected, creative and enjoy ourselves during times of physical distancing while experimenting with remote forms of collectivity and care that can be integrated into our future.

We have also created new membership perks meant to foster exchange amongst members including a Community Directory, as well as a Bulletin Board on Slack to share information and opportunities, which may be especially useful in the time of COVID-19. Most membership tiers give you at least 50% off tickets to our programs, including those hosted in the virtual realms.

The challenges of this moment make the need for spaces and communities like NAVEL even more clear, emphasizing how crucial it is to be interwoven in empathetic relationships to survive and thrive as individuals. More than ever, we find meaning and grounding in our vision to be a test site for kinship, to cultivate spaces where it is pleasurable to imagine and create a more just, abundant and collaborative world together.

“Now more than ever it is imperative for us to decolonize from individualism and reconnect with ways of community care.”
Jade Begay of NDN Collective in Decolonizing Community Care in response to COVID-19

We also invite you to consult and share widely our compiled list of mutual aid/emergency resources, funds and petitions for artists, art organizers, freelancers, and others who are impacted by the COVID-19 closures.

We are forever grateful for the passion and support of our vibrant community. Although we are currently separated physically from one another, we know we will see you all again IRL very soon.

Until then, we look forward to making kin with you in the cloud.

xoxo
NAVEL