Many people have asked us what we will do if we don’t reach our original goal of $50K. This is our answer. Our primary goal is to keep the Bureau going, and our fundamental requirement is space. We are seeking a a 450 to 500 sqare foot space on the Lower East Side with a monthly rent of approximately $3,000. We will need three months rent up front to take the space off the market and the first month’s rent. At this point we have that amount covered given that we’ve received $13,869. But we will also need some money to fix the space up, purchase signage, and get the space ready for business and events. We estimate that we’ll need about $5K or $6K for that. So our revised goal is $18K. If we reach this, then we can at least move forward in our own space.
Of course, we very much hope that we will exceed $18K. Receiving the funds to add a cafe and an e-commerce page to our website would help to make the Bureau more financially stable–so we don’t have to keep begging you for money! But if those projects have to wait, so be it. And we can always receive donations through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, even after our Indiegogo campaign ends on Friday at noon. Our goal is simply to make the Bureau of General Services-Queer Division a stable project that continues to provide a much-needed space for queer books, periodicals, zines, art, performers, authors, poets, artists, activists, scholars, readers, and audiences.
So please donate today in order to put the Bureau on firm ground!
