First Kooyrigs HQ & Safe Space in Armenia

Through elevating diverse Armenian voices, hosting accessible community events, and launching innovative projects- Kooyrigs aims to be a catalyst for the gender equality movement, both in Armenia and the diaspora. Our organization provides resources to people around the globe through creative fundraising and culturally conscious media. Just last week, we raised $20,000 for our Lebanon Period Kit project in four days. This week, Kooyrigs officially started renting a large art studio in Armenia for around $160 a month. Our plan is to transform this big studio into 2 spaces that are critical to our mission. This fundraiser will cover the cost of renting a space and paying our team members fair wages for one year so they can continue establishing critical human rights initiatives. This space will also serve as a Kooyrigs community center, a place for community members to network in an inclusive  space.

Thus far, Kooyrigs has operated on a completely voluntary basis. If you believe in our work and have the ability to financially support, we would greatly appreciate your contribution.  All donors of $100.00 and up will have their name, photo, and '@' featured on our 'Founders Gallery Wall' and receive a certificate signed by our team in Armenia, along with 2 unique polaroid photos of the space from our first days open. 

We envision two parts of the space. This part here, we plan on turning into our community Living Room, or Hyurasenyak - ‘հյուրասենյակ -


This living room will be a community space. It will serve as a gateway to employment for creators and innovators in Armenia.  The space will be accessible to all registered Kooyrigs community members. Through creating safe spaces for professional growth, we hope to inspire and preserve an inclusive Armenian professional culture. Our plans for this space include hosting networking socials, educational workshops and therapeutic sessions. We plan to have open hours, where registered community members visit, connect, and work together.

*Registration to our community will be completely free, but will involve an application.

The Kooyrigs Team Offices - We will be partitioning the living room space to create room for our employed team members. Here, they will organize and launch innovative Kooyrigs initiatives. They will also work on expanding our new business -Content by Kooyrigs, LLC., a digital media consultancy and content agency. Our team has so many ideas for so many wonderful projects, and we hope to provide them with a space (and budget) to act on them. By renting a space and paying our team, we will be able to produce more, quicker - while compensating our team members for their labor. 

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Our Financials: 

Studio Rent:
$160 / month x 12 months - $1,920

Studio Renovations and Furnishing: 
Estimated $5,000 - electrical repair needed, walls refreshed, floor redone

As of Jan 1, 2020, minimum wage in Armenia is 68000AMD or $140 a month. However, price of living does not align with the minimum wage- especially for those in Yerevan. We hope to provide fair wages to our employees, and pay them enough monthly to live comfortably. 

Kooyrigs Team Member in Yerevan, starting wage per month: 
Operations Director - starting wage $800 
New Project Development Manager - starting wage $600
Community Manager - starting wage $500
Artist(s) -  journalists, content developer - starting wage $500
Accounting services - $50/month
Labor expense ~ $29,400 a year

Community Project Fund:
We are hoping for $10,00 to launch kooyrigs human rights initiatives in Armenia and employ community members in the process.


TOTAL GOAL: $46,320

All access to our financial information will be updated at the end of each month and available to our donors so we can assure transparency.