2024 Year in Review: Cultivating Community, Growth, & Creativity
As we close out 2024, we reflect on an invigorating year at Kultivate Labs. This year has been one of community strengthening, resilience through challenges, and exciting strides in economic development. From supporting small businesses & artists to uplifting community entrepreneurs and cultural innovators, we are proud to grow together. Cheers!
Here’s a wrap up of our milestones we’ve achieved together.
2024 UNDISCOVERED CULTURE CRAWL
UNDISCOVERED SF is a non-profit venture designed to jump-start economic activity and public awareness of SOMA Pilipinas. UNDISCOVERED SF is part of a multi-prong strategy to build a thriving new commercial corridor in the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district. We envision incubating a batch of innovative retail concepts, award-winning restaurants, and neighborhood serving businesses that are culturally relevant, financially resilient, and adaptable to the market needs of all San Franciscans.
The UNDSCVRD Event Team ready for the day, Photo Credit: @n.yuzon
UNDISCOVERED SF is produced & conceived by Kultivate Labs, a non-profit business accelerator, and Make it Mariko, SF event producer. We believe that entrepreneurship is one of many ways to build wealth in local communities. By creating new economic opportunities and closing the income inequality gap in San Francisco, we hope to stem the displacement of our low and middle income residents.
UNDISCOVERED SF is made possible by a grant from the SOMA Stabilization Fund and the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, and the hopes and dreams of the Filipino community, and those that came before us.
2024 HIRAYA
On August 8th 2024, we invited past, present & future partners & supporters of Kultivate Labs to an exclusive soirée, HIRAYA atop the Salesforce Tower - an observation deck with a panoramic viewing platform where the sunset paints the sky gold as we embarked on our fundraising campaign to transform the vision of SOMA Pilipinas with Kultivate Labs.
This community affair was an evening filled with inspiration, culture, drinks, entertainment, light bites, and a celebration of Filipino excellence. An unforgettable night and a community milestone.
The Kultivate Labs staff dressed in their finest atop Sales Force Tower, Photo credit: @miltonsosamcdonald
Kultivate Labs hosts ‘Hiraya’ to raise funds for Filipino Cultural Corridor
'Hiraya' is part of the crowdfunding campaign for a Filipino Cultural Corridor in SOMA Pilipinas
By: Wilfred Galila - @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net US Bureau / 06:42 PM August 25, 2024
Desi Danganan, left and Gina Mariko Rosales at “Hiraya” at the Salesforce Tower. Photo credit: @markyenriquez
SAN FRANCISCO – Kultivate Labs, a nonprofit economic development arm of SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District, recently hosted “Hiraya,” an exclusive, invite-only fundraising event at the Salesforce Tower.
SOMA Pilipinas was one of the first cultural districts selected for state designation by the California Arts Council in 2017.
SEEDNETWORK
The SEED NETWORK provides BIPOC businesses access to solutions, resources, and a business network to stimulate economic activity and growth in the Bay Area, San Francisco and the Filipino Cultural District: SOMA Pilipinas.
Executive Director Desi Danganan, left, and SEED Network Co-Lead Kristen Brillantes pose for a portrait at Balay Kreative, Photo credit: Juliana Yamada via SF Chronicle
Our SOMA Business Accelerator ran its 6th cohort. offering four businesses free, tailored consulting from local business service providers to dramatically enhance performance on one key business initiative like upgrading or creating infrastructure and assets—this is not a class, but a B2B partnership to propel a business forward. And our ACE program ran its 2nd cohort, preparing growing businesses for long-term lease opportunities.
BALAY KREATIVE
For the past five years, we've been inviting artists & creators of all disciplines to Balay Kreative to create new pieces of art & content to be presented in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District. When the resident artists are not working in the space, Balay Kreative Studios hosts multiple events from chef demos, painting classes, podcast recording sessions and seasonal pop-up retail experiences.
Open Studios at Balay Kreative during Be Free Festival, Photo credit: @balaykreative
Balay Kreative Studios is a 3,600 sq ft pop-up art studio, streaming hub & maker space in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District of San Francisco. It houses an artist in residency program, multiple flexible studio spaces, a maker lab with laser cutters, a CNC machine, and woodshop, plus an innovative streaming hub for content creators viewable from Mission Street. Our windows are adorned with beautiful graphics of Filipino heroes/sheros by Mel Vera Cruz.
CULTURAL KULTIVATORS
What an incredible journey it’s been—2 years, 40 episodes, and countless inspiring moments! Cultural Kultivators podcast has been such a blessing, creating space for 40 amazing guests to share their stories, celebrate their wins, and speak their truths.
From trailblazers like Ruby Ibarra and Sarina Bolden to icons like Joe Bataan , each guest has reminded us of the strength of our roots and the boundless potential of our future. Together, we’ve celebrated the beauty, resilience, and power of our culture.
To everyone who’s tuned in, supported, and believed in this vision—thank you.
Your love fuels this mission. Our stories matter. Our voices matter. And as long as we keep sharing them, our legacy will thrive.
Executive Producer/Creator/Host: Nicole Salaver
Producer: Kindred Kapwa
Co-Producer: Jon Reyes
Associate Producer: Iggy Mora
Production Manager: Lionel Queen
KAPWA GARDENS
Kapwa Gardens is a healing space for the community, specifically designed as a Kultivate Labs project to help the neighborhood recover from the devastating mental, physical, and emotional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; it aims to provide a space for community gathering and healing within the SOMA Pilipinas district of San Francisco, highlighting Filipino culture through its design and programming.
Story time with Divine in i: The Divine Coloring Book Movement and Wellness Workshop for Youth, Photo credit: @jimmie.flora
Kicked of our first event of the year with 2024 DYE HARD, celebrating a funky family-friendly Easter egg hunt at Kapwa Gardens! provided a chance for families and community members to enjoy the beauty of Kapwa Gardens with fun activities like a petting zoo, enriching memories for the young and young at heart among the vibrancy of our urban garden oasis.
Don Miralles providing massage therapy with vendor partner, Eternal Sunshine Jewelry, Photo credit: @jimmie.flora
With an elevated experience, BAKED: Vibes x Vitality was the ultimate 420 vibe as a blend of the raw essence of cannabis culture with the rich flavors of Filipino heritage. This wasn’t just another gathering; it was a deep dive into an outdoor paradise, cloaked in the mystery and signature ‘purple haze’ ambiance.
We geared up for a culinary trip with Filipino gems that hit different— mixing the sweet, the savory, and the straight-up exotic. We dug into dishes drenched in ube goodness and more, taking your taste buds on a ride our community won’t forget.
Sponsored by: Malaya Botanicals, Dear Flor, Herbo Bueno & Stoney World
Your Favorite Ube Festival returned during Fall 2024, Kapwa Gardens was excited to announce that Yum Yams came back for the fifth year, now as a full on festival crawl with multiple areas including Trellis Co Working Space encompassing over 25 vendors.
Be Free Festival is an annual celebration that showcases the vibrant Filipino culture. Kultivate Labs, along with its community partners in SOMA Pilipinas, welcomed community & the greater San Francisco Bay Area to SOMA Pilipinas to eat, connect, learn, and get down to celebrate 126 years of liberation.
This year, we brought even more excitement with a bigger crawl than ever before – featuring new venues in the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage district to explore.
Video by: @kvithleen
Brownthought Academy’s Marketing Bootcamp is a workforce development program from Kultivate Labs where 5 interns will have the unique opportunity to learn about digital marketing through campaigns for cultural and community-centric projects. From email campaigns, social media strategy, paid advertising, event marketing, website design and maintenance, interns directly impact all Kultivate Labs programs: UNDISCOVERED SF, Kapwa Gardens, SEED Network, Balay Kreative, and Republika. In turn, they gain key marketing skillsets as well as a knowledge of socially-conscious economic development, from San Francisco’s SoMa Pilipinas Filipino Cultural District and beyond.
Kick Off Hang Out Event for 2024 Cohort with Program Manager, Kaithleen Apostol & Program Advisor, Jy Jimmie Gabiola with Video Intern, Milton Sosa McDonald, Content Writing Intern, Jaeya Bayani, Social Media Intern, Camille Washington. Not pictured: Design & Branding Intern, Mariah Rosario & Social Media Intern, Alyssa Corpuz
Kultivate Labs during our Summer Team Retreat
