The forest is calling.

Vitambi Foundation Inc. is a Florida nonprofit corporation working to preserve Vitambi Springs — 269 acres of subtropical wilderness on the edge of the Everglades — as a permanent LGBTQ+ sanctuary, nature preserve, retreat space, and community gathering place.

Our Story

Fourteen years ago, this was just an abandoned camp and a couple of guys with an idea: that there could be a place in rural Florida where gay men could show up as their whole selves. Laugh too loud, wear too little, cry if they needed to, and feel completely at home. What started as an idea became something more. People arrived looking nervous, a little guarded, and left standing a little taller. Friendships began around campfires. Chosen family formed under these trees. Now the land faces a new chapter. The Vitambi Foundation exists to preserve what was built here as a mission, not a business; as a legacy, not a lease. A community-owned sanctuary that outlives any one owner. This isn't just a resort. It's a community.

Our Mission

The Vitambi Foundation preserves the Vitambi Springs property as a permanent nature sanctuary and community home — a place where the LGBTQ+ community and all who seek refuge can find healing, education, connection, and belonging amid the natural beauty of South Florida.

Our mission rests on three inseparable commitments: to protect the land, to serve the people, and to nurture the space between the two. We acquire and steward Vitambi Springs in perpetuity, build programs that heal and empower, and welcome every person who walks through our gates with the warmth that has always defined this place.

Our Vision

We envision a world in which every LGBTQ+ person — and every person who has ever felt unwelcome, unseen, or unwell — has access to a sanctuary where nature, community, and care come together. We envision Vitambi Springs as a nationally recognized model: a living, breathing proof that a piece of wild land can be held in common, protected from development, and devoted entirely to the flourishing of the people who need it most. A place where the subtropical forest is not a backdrop, but a teacher. Where the springs do not merely flow, but restore. Where the community does not merely gather, but transforms. And we envision a Foundation that is financially sustainable, deeply trusted, broadly celebrated, and entirely true to the values of the community that built it.

The Five Pillars

Five commitments that shape every decision we make — from how we steward the land, to how we welcome each person who walks through our gates.

1. Sanctuary & Belonging. For those who have experienced rejection, isolation, or invisibility, belonging is not a luxury — it is a necessity of the human spirit. We commit to preserving that sense of safety and welcome for every person who arrives at our gates, for generations to come.
2. Land & Stewardship. The 269 acres of subtropical wilderness here are irreplaceable. We hold this land in permanent stewardship, protecting its native ecosystems, freshwater springs, and wildlife corridors from development and degradation.
3. Healing, Wellness & Mental Health. Nature-based retreats, trauma-informed programs, and therapeutic spaces built for the mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of those who carry the weight of marginalization. Healing happens best in community, and nature is among the most powerful healers we know.
4. Education & Empowerment. Knowledge is liberation. We offer inclusive programming across LGBTQ+ history, environmental science, personal finance, health navigation, civic engagement, and career development — meeting people where they are.
5. Community, Culture & Celebration. We host gatherings, performances, and celebrations that affirm LGBTQ+ life and culture in all its richness. A community that celebrates itself is a community that endures. Joy is not frivolous — it is essential.

Seven Values

1. Belonging. Every person who comes to Vitambi deserves to feel this place was made for them. We will never compromise on the radical welcome that defines us.
2. Stewardship. We hold land and community in trust — not for ourselves, but for those who come after us. We act with care, humility, and a long view.
3. Authenticity. Unapologetically LGBTQ+-led, community-rooted, values-driven. We do not dilute who we are to be palatable. We lead from our identity.
4. Healing. We take seriously the wounds many of our community carry. Our spaces and programs are designed to support restoration of self, of relationships, of connection to the natural world.
5. Inclusion. While our heart beats for the LGBTQ+ community, our doors are open to all. A community becomes stronger when it welcomes difference and extends grace.
6. Education. Access to knowledge, history, and skills is a form of justice. We are committed to lifelong learning for our community, our staff, and ourselves.
7. Joy. We celebrate. We dance. We gather around fires and in pools and under the stars. Joy is not a distraction from our mission — it is the mission.

Who We Serve

We serve the LGBTQ+ community as our primary constituency, with particular attention to those most marginalized within and beyond: LGBTQ+ people of color, those navigating mental-health challenges or trauma recovery, and those who lack access to affirming spaces or community. We are a home for those who have never had one, a sanctuary for those who have been told they do not belong, and a classroom for those who have been denied the knowledge they need to thrive. Our doors are also open to families, educators, naturalists, wellness seekers, and artists — anyone drawn to the beauty of this land and the warmth of this community.

The Founders Circle

The Founders Circle is not a donation ask. It's a commitment of presence — people who help shape what this foundation becomes. In early 2026 we will invite everyone who signs up to a community update with more on the timeline, the work, and the ways to help. If this place has ever mattered to you, we'd love to have you at the table. Sign up at vitambifoundation.org/#founders.

Contact

Vitambi Foundation Inc.
28280 Etumakee Way, Clewiston, FL 33440
[email protected]
vitambifoundation.org

Vitambi Foundation Inc. is a Florida nonprofit corporation. Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status application pending.