Kapwa Kultural Center

The mission of Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) is to integrate culturally affirming programming for Filipina/x/o youth that combines leadership skills, workforce preparedness, entrepreneurial mentorship, and ethnic studies to support positive cultural identity formation and mental health education.

All month-long, we invite you to stand with us in celebrating and supporting the strength and wellness of our Filipino & BIPOC community.

In a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts are increasingly under attack politically, nonprofits like ours are facing unprecedented barriers to funding and sustainability. These challenges are not just abstract policies; they have real impacts on our ability to provide critical support for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of our kababayans.

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Our approach

Rooted in the values of Kapwa and Ginhawa, KKC serves both the Filipino/a/x community and the wider public. Located in Daly City, which has a large Filipino/a/x population, KKC is a historic social enterprise that offers unique health and wellness services for better mental health and wellbeing.

KKC aims to create a welcoming space that supports cultural identity and community connections. It provides educational programs that celebrate cultural traditions and practices through art, poetry, dance, and more, helping youth and the community achieve wellness.

How We Came to Be

Kapwa Kultural Center was birthed from the Filipino Mental Health Initiative San Mateo County chapter. The mission of FMHI SMC is to improve the well-being of Filipinos by connecting community members with culturally relevant resouces and services. The work of FMHI SMC emphasizes community collaboration and strengthening our network through intentional collaboration.

Stephanie Balon, LMFT and Christi Morales-Kumasawa, AMFT, both Pinay mental health clinicians, serve as FMHI SMC Co-Chairs. Stephanie became a co-chair in 2011, while Christi started as a volunteer in 2012 and stepped into the role in 2017. In 2018, they wrote a Request for Proposal to announce their development of an innovative mental health project in San Mateo County. In due time, the Mental Health Services Act Innovation approved their social business enterprise model to be carried out in five years with the awarded $2.5 million in state funds to carry out the project.

KKC is a department of the Daly City Partnership, a non-profit offering social services to promote over well-being. This includes basic safety-net services such as food, clothing, housing (rental assistance), diapers, and school supplies.