The Ivy is a BIPOC, Queer, and Trans friendly rope space that welcomes people of all body types, levels of experience, and tying roles. We were founded in 2023, and we are a collective of queer women of color who have come together to create a BIPOC-exclusive Shibari rope studio in Chicago. In the past six months, we have hosted mixers, jams, and specialized events for BIPOC to explore Shibari within a diverse space. We have also provided workshops on the must-know safe practices and risks associated with tying and getting tied. We actively develop safe consent practices, harm reduction, and restorative justice processes. And it has been such a beautiful and fulfilling journey! We have grown significantly in the past six months and have loved getting to know you as a community every step of the way. But now, we are entering a new chapter!
We are currently experiencing a large influx of BIPOCs eager to be in the community with other BIPOCs and need a larger space! It's time for The Ivy to settle into a home studio so that, in addition to throwing the rope jams, we can begin consistently offering courses to our community. This space will allow us to create a community space that will help continue to platform BIPOC rope artists and put them in community with our members.
Fundraising Goal:
Our community has warmly welcomed our presence. Now, we are lovingly looking to the community to support us in this transitionary period of growth. Our fundraising goal of $10,000 will help us secure and furnish our ideal venue in the summer of 2024. If we reach our goal, we will have the studio's Rent paid for until December 2024.
How we intend to use the Money
- Rent: 1649.95 per month- Total from August to December: $8245.75
- Security Deposit: 1649.95
- Insurance:
- Yoga blocks for up to 20 people: $67.99 (wholesaleyogamats.com)
- Yoga mats for up to 20 people: $119.99 (wholesaleyogamats.com)
- Internet bill for five months: $50.00 per month- $250 total.
- 2 Air purifiers: $127.49 (amazon.com)- $254.95
- Air conditioners: $165.60 (amazon.com)
- Space Heater: $69.99 (amazon.com)
- 20 Floor cushions ( $25 each on Etsy) - $500 total
- 3 Organizer cubbies: $189.99 each (amazon.com)- total $569.97
- Heavy duty Coat rack: $59.97 (amazon.com)
- Instructor salary for BIPOC EDUCATORS: $1000 budget per month- $5000 total
In Summary:
- Supplies and Maintenance Total: $3, 058.49
- Instructor Salary: $5, 000
- Rental Total: $9,895.70
Total: $17, 954.19
*** We will be posting proof of purchase and proof of rental lease and financial reports as accountability practice. We believe in practicing fiscal transparency in this process!
If you would like to donate any of the above supplies, it would be of great help and would allow us to relocate any additional funds towards paying BIPOC educators. We will be posting a wishlist soon as well for people who would like to donate in other ways!
Here are our GOALS:
- Pay the Rent for the studio.
Our goal is to open the studio on August 1st, and our initial goal is to raise 4000 by our move-in date. This includes the security deposit and the first month's Rent. The initial 4000 will help us cover some of the costs for the purchase at least parts of some of the supplies we need.
- Hire BIPOC rope educators.
We believe in the importance of providing financial compensation to educators in the Kink community. We want to honor the work that seasoned BIPOC riggers and bunnies have done to create safe tying experiences for people of color. If we can cover the rental with the Money from the fundraiser, it will give us more financial freedom to compensate educators comfortably.
- Set up suspension points in the studio.
This will allow us to cater to the needs of our more advanced riggers. Once we have a studio set for suspension, we can begin hiring BIPOC educators who have experience with suspension. This also allows our members to develop more advanced skills if that is the path that they would like to take.
Why this matters and why this space is so IMPORTANT:
Though white spaces serve their function within the rope world, we need a BIPOC-exclusive rope space that allows us to experience rope within our own spaces. Our objective is to have courses offered consistently by BIPOC instructors. In essence, it is a space that is created to cater to the needs of aspiring BIPOC riggers, self-tiers, and bunnies. We have been so touched by how our members have shown up for us and how we have received support from community members by advertising our events and volunteering time and resources. We have you to thank for creating this space; it would not have been possible without your support. So, we sincerely thank you for being here and helping us build this space.
We want to continue serving you to the best of our capacity, so we need to get a bigger and more permanent space. This will allow us to center communal needs in our programming, scheduling, and ticket pricing. The Ivy is an overdue resource that is filling the need for racially inclusive and culturally literate kink and sexual education within Chicago.
Thank you for tagging along with us on this journey of growth! We are so grateful for our experiences and are excited to continue building a space we can all be proud of! Follow us on Instagram @TheIvyChicago to keep up with our progress!
Let's make it happen!!!
With deep gratitude and excitement,
The Ivy Chicago team
Organizer
