Unlock the Power of AI to Elevate Your Grant Writing Game.

MASTER AI FOR GRANT WRITING: FROM STRATEGY TO SUCCESS
WITH DESI DANGANAN

In this hands-on workshop led by Desi Danganan, you will:

• Explore advanced techniques to streamline your proposal process using ChatGPT.

• Learn how to train AI models on successful past grants

• Analyze tone and style to align with funder expectations

• Generate compelling narratives that stand out.

Whether you’re a nonprofit leader or a freelancer, this session will give you practical tools to boost efficiency and improve your chances of funding success.

About Desi Danganan

Managing Director / Civic Leader /
Business Guru / Alchemist

Desi Danganan is a prominent Filipino-American community leader, known for his extensive work in community development, particularly in the heart of San Francisco. As the Executive Director of Kultivate Labs, a nonprofit organization, Desi has led efforts to build more inclusive and resilient neighborhoods by placing culture and commerce at the center of urban revitalization.

Under his leadership, Kultivate Labs has transformed underutilized spaces into vibrant community assets, supported the growth of small businesses, and fostered opportunities for artists and entrepreneurs to thrive. In response to shrinking public funding, Desi has spearheaded the integration of AI into the organization’s operations—most notably by training custom GPTs on Kultivate’s past proposals, reports, and outcomes data.

This knowledge-trained AI helps staff generate competitive grant applications faster and with greater alignment to funder priorities, enabling the team to scale their impact while staying lean.

Grounded in equity and self-determination, Desi’s approach is rooted in the belief that local communities should be the authors of their own economic and cultural futures.

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Needing a Little (or A Lot) of Love?

Join us for a hands-on workshop that will help shape your personal brand through the power of storytelling.

LINKEDIN PERSONAL BRANDING FOR CREATIVES
with MARISSA MACAYAN

This workshop is for you if:

→ Your LinkedIn hasn’t been updated in months - or years! 

→ You cringe at the way your professional online profile reads. You want to sound more like YOU on your LinkedIn but everything feels ick.

→ You are ready to be seen as the go-to expert and a leading authority for your valuable work outside of your 9-5 job, but don’t know how to craft more recognition for your passion projects, or your 5-9 creative pursuits, a.k.a. your legacy work.

Participants will learn practical tips and tricks for creating a complete and compelling LinkedIn profile, including:

• An overview of LinkedIn profile sections

• Ways to improve your profile to optimize search results

• Example scripts that will get responses from folks on LinkedIn

• Fostering meaningful relationships with your LinkedIn network

Together, we’ll explore next steps to craft a narrative that honors your experiences, amplifies your voice, and can open doors to new opportunities.

About Marissa Macayan

Community Builder / Storyteller /
Venue Manager / Artist

Marissa Macayan (she/her) is a community builder and storyteller based in San Francisco. With a background in Filipino folk dance, hospitality, and community programming, she creates spaces that honor identity, spark connection, and celebrate culture. Her work centers intention, belonging, and visibility through gatherings and collective storytelling.

You can find Marissa building community on the weekdays as the Venue Manager at KOHO in Japantown, or stop by Yum Yams at Kapwa Gardens in SOMA Pilipinas on July 26th! Yum Yams is an all things ube celebration and will be a send off to the garden after serving the community for 5 years.

Bring a book, a laptop
or a journal & let’s vibe.

LOUNGE & LOFI | POWEREDBYFLORA

Curated by poweredbyflora, this soft hour invites artists, creators, and entrepreneurs to lounge with lofi soundscapes, ambient beats, and calming visuals that ease you into a midweek rhythm.

Join us for a calm gathering of KOHO’s Lunch & Learn series designed for reflection and creative reset.

We’ll have curated selection of magazines from Aperture to Orientations and a pop-up library of photo books to poetry so we can spark new thoughts & quiet inspiration.

Stay after for a free co-working day at KOHO- your creative landing pad in Japantown.

About POWEREDBYFLORA

POWEREDBYFLORA is a creative consultancy agency rooted in art & impact founded in 2024 by Jy Jimmie Gabiola.  With over 10+ years of industry expertise, we specialize in bridging the gap between creativity and strategy for a diverse range of brands and businesses.

Operating with a digital-first approach, we craft tailored solutions across creative strategy, brand development, and digital campaigns. Our work is designed to help brands bloom with clarity, blossom amongst communities, and breakthru with data-driven, results-oriented execution.

Dedicated to a new generation of visionaries and entrepreneurs, our mission is to cultivate bold ideas, champion untold stories, and nurture a platform for brands and creators to thrive. We exist to empower businesses to reach their goals and to redefine what’s possible in their respective industries.

Cultural placemaking is the heartbeat of KOHO—a community-powered space born in San Francisco's Japantown to support artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural stewards.

This session traces the origin of KOHO as a response to the need for accessible, meaningful space in a rapidly changing city, and how it has grown into a hub for creativity, resilience, and shared values.

We'll explore how placemaking becomes a tool for resistance and regeneration, especially in communities with deep historical roots.

From there, Susie Kagami shares her personal journey—from raising her son in Japantown and witnessing its transformations, to her role as Cultural District Manager, and ultimately founding KOHO to reimagine space as a site for healing, collaboration, and joy.

Together, we'll reflect on how purpose emerges from place, how our ancestors shape our path, and how to align work with the values that sustain us.

About Susie Kagami

KOHO | Founding Executive Director

Susie has championed strategic plans & partnerships for Asian-American non-profit organizations for over 17 years.

She leverages key opportunities & empowers teams to successfully build thriving cultural communities. She has held leadership roles in the AAPI non-profit space as former Executive Director of the Asian American Women Artists Association, Manager of the Japantown Cultural District, in Development at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and Operations at the Oakland Asian Community Center.  

As a community organizer and non-profit staff in Japantown for over a decade, Susie also raised her son in the schools, youth programs, and cultural surroundings of his heritage through the nurturing of the Japantown community.