Trainings

Woman with curly dark hair and glasses writing on a whiteboard in a classroom or workshop setting.

NQAPIA (the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance) offers trainings that equip LGBTQ+ Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) leaders with the tools to organize, lead, and build power and understanding in their communities.

From virtual workshops to in-person institutes, our trainings:

  • Build Personal and Professional Skills

  • Strengthen Organizing Practices

  • Raise Cultural Awareness

These sessions are designed to equip both new and seasoned organizers with practical tools to sustain their work.

Register for the FREE 2026 Trainings

We heard the feedback and in 2026, we are offering 10 free virtual workshops across topic areas that resonate most with local communities. These topics serve to either 1) Build Skills, 2) Strategically Organize, or 3) Raise Cultural Awareness.

Pick your own training adventure among the following training workshops:

Soft Power: Bridging Art, Culture, and Lasting Social Change

Join Julie Kuwabara from the Center for Cultural Power for a workshop on Narrative Strategy, building off of Kat Evasco's workshop, Soft Power: Bridging Art, Culture, and Lasting Social Change.

This 90-minute online workshop invites participants into the power of narrative strategy as a tool for justice and change. We are learning through the lens of cultural power with art at the center of the strategy. Through the framework of Marshall Ganz's Story of Self, Story of Now, and Story of Us, we explore how our personal stories connect to a bigger, shared narrative. Together, we uncover the values that connect us to the work we do — and the future we want to build.

The workshop is interactive with breakout and journaling activities. You will leave with tools to start building and planning collectively.

All experience levels are welcome.

*Registration required to attend.

In 2025, we piloted a 3-part training series dedicated to resource development. We held space for three phenomenal facilitators to discuss 1) Fundraising, 2) Grant-writing, and 3) Reporting and Evaluation.

We are offered free virtual workshops to build capacity for organizers, community leaders, and movement builders to identify existing and new resources, strategize on their specific lanes for resource development, and ideate about how they can tell the story of their work in culturally-significant ways.

  • Soft Power: Bridging Art, Culture, and Lasting Social Change
    • 6/16/26

    Soft Power: Bridging Art, Culture, and Lasting Social Change

    Cultural strategy is more than a concept, it’s a tool for building power. Watch NQAPIA Executive Director Kat Evasco lead a training on how art, storytelling, and cultural organizing shape movements and strengthen our communities. Together, we’ll explore real case studies and map our own superpowers as leaders working toward a just, equitable, safe, and joyful world.

  • 📊 From Tracking Data to Using Data: Your CRM Readiness Check - NQAPIA Training Webinar w/CASL
    • 6/16/26

    📊 From Tracking Data to Using Data: Your CRM Readiness Check - NQAPIA Training Webinar w/CASL

    A lot of organizations are collecting data — but not always using it. If your information is living across spreadsheets, forms, and scattered files, this training will help you figure out what comes next. Join NQAPIA and Chinese American Service League (CASL) for a free training webinar focused on assessing whether your current systems are working, whether you’re ready for a CRM, and what needs to be in place before making that move. We break down the difference between simply tracking data and actually using it to strengthen programs, inform decisions, and grow your impact — without overcomplicating the process. ✨ The featured presenters are: Alex Montgomery, Senior Director of Impact & Advocacy, Chinese American Service League Chrisazil (Khriza) Santos, Data & Systems Leader, Chinese American Service League Whether you’re feeling stuck in spreadsheets or thinking about your next system, this session will help you move forward with clarity. Register now at the link in our bio and take the next step in strengthening your data.

  • Let's Get Together! How to Convene Your People Training Workshop w/Reggie Gravely & Mai Li O'Keefe
    • 3/4/26

    Let's Get Together! How to Convene Your People Training Workshop w/Reggie Gravely & Mai Li O'Keefe

    Trying to bring folks together to organize or build community — but struggling with turnout or recruitment? This recorded training is for you. This is the first recorded training of NQAPIA's 2026 National Training Series that will be a FREE 10-part virtual training series for LGBTQ+ AANHPI community members, organizers, and leaders across the country — and we’re kicking it off by going back to the basics: getting people in the room. Learn from our best — NQAPIA’s Director of Advocacy & Organizing Reggie Gravely and Programs Manager Mai Li O’Keefe — as we share tools and practices for convening your community with intention and purpose. This workshop will consist of 60 minutes for presentation. Bring your questions, issues, and suggestions. Built for community members, organizers, and leaders at any stage of their development.

  • Reporting & Evaluation Training Workshop with Win Guan of Social Insights Research
    • 11/25/25

    Reporting & Evaluation Training Workshop with Win Guan of Social Insights Research

    This session, led by Win Guan (he/him) of Social Insights Research, covers the essentials of reporting and evaluation for grassroots organizations, community leaders, and movement builders. Learn how to: Collect and analyze data to show your impact, turn qualitative stories into measurable outcomes, report to funders with clarity and confidence. build internal systems that sustain your organization’s growth

  • Fundraising Training with Xin Xin from Abundance Rabbit Consulting
    • 11/6/25

    Fundraising Training with Xin Xin from Abundance Rabbit Consulting

    Xin (pronounced “shin”) is a seasoned fundraiser and resource mobilizer with over 15 years of experience in philanthropy and frontline fundraising. She has moved resources for movements advancing LGBTQ+ advocacy, immigrant justice, harm reduction, and workers’ rights. In this workshop, Xin shares practical insights on how fundraising is organizing—and how organizers can sustain their work through intentional community and holistic support.

  • Grant Writing Workshop with Sherrie Anne Hart
    • 10/14/25

    Grant Writing Workshop with Sherrie Anne Hart

    Presented by NQAPIA as part of our 2025 Organizer Training Series, this free virtual workshop explores the fundamentals of grant writing for community-based groups, organizers, and movement builders. In this session, Sherrie Hart (they/them/naya)—a queer, nonbinary Puerto Rican/Thai organizer, trainer, and Co-Director of Movement Building at Emergent Fund—shares practical strategies for writing compelling grant proposals rooted in justice, storytelling, and community power.