On Friday 9 October, AVANT Festival 2026 opens its programme with BEYOND GRANTS, a free Training Lab for artists and cultural professionals interested in strengthening the sustainability of their projects and expanding their opportunities for development.
From 3:00 to 6:30 PM at Officine Culturali Ergot in Lecce, Philippe Bischof and Ludovico Esposito will lead three and a half hours of training and applied work focused on fundraising and on building relationships with foundations, companies, philanthropists and patrons.
Ticket sales, fees, merchandising, licensing, grants and public funding are essential resources for the cultural sector, but they are not the only possibilities available. The Training Lab will explore how to identify potential supporters who are genuinely aligned with a project, develop a clear value proposition, and turn an initial contact into a relationship built on listening, trust and shared objectives.
The programme will be led by Philippe Bischof, Swiss cultural policy expert, strategic consultant and lecturer, former Director of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, and Ludovico Esposito, consultant and lecturer specialising in fundraising intelligence and strategy, Founder and President of Sud Sonico.
Alongside the training sessions, an Applied Lab will give participants the opportunity to work directly on their own engagement strategy, with feedback and guidance from the trainers.
Participation is free of charge and subject to selection. The Training Lab is open to artists, musicians, cultural professionals, festivals, labels, associations, independent organisations and cultural enterprises. Applications are open until 27 September 2026.
AVANT will also provide three €50 grants for artists and cultural professionals under 30, helping make the training more accessible to people in the early stages of their professional development.
BEYOND GRANTS opens the sixth edition of AVANT Festival, taking place in Lecce and Salento from 9 to 11 October 2026. Curated and organised by Sud Sonico APS, the festival brings together experimental and contemporary music, sound research, cinema, training, landscape and solidarity practices, combining its artistic programme with opportunities for knowledge exchange, professional development and new relationships.
BEYOND GRANTS – Training Lab
9 October 2026 · 3:00–6:30 PM
Officine Culturali Ergot · Lecce
Free participation, subject to selection
Applications close 27 September 2026
Three €50 grants available for participants under 30
Apply here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgMWFsS15tRUCMmq7witaQCO_P2J27A2SVNkw39iPdsgfFQQ/viewform
Full AVANT Festival programme and updates: www.sudsonico.it
