AEPC Engages Cultural Practitioners Across Southern Africa to Turn Creative Ideas into Funding Proposals

28 October 2026
Southern Africa Component

AEPC’s workshop series connects cultural practitioners across six Southern African cities with practical funding guidance.

From Bulawayo and Harare to Maun and Gaborone, Lobamba and Maseru, artists and cultural practitioners have been sharpening their funding proposals at a series of Grant Proposal Writing and Application Workshops between 7 and 28 September 2026 run by the Southern Africa Component of the Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture (AEPC) programme.

Artists and cultural practitioners worked through the funding available to them and what it takes to develop and submit a project proposal. Holding sessions in their own cities meant they could put questions directly to the team and work through each step for themselves.

For most cultural practitioners, a creative idea is only the starting point. Turning it into a structured proposal requires understanding eligibility criteria, defining objectives, planning activities, and preparing realistic budgets. Sessions covered calls for proposals, application requirements, proposal development, and how to use the Goethe Application Portal. Reflecting on the initiative, Lot Kafesu, Project Manager for the Southern Africa Component, said:

The proposal writing workshops were launched in response to regional stakeholder requests for proposal writing workshops alongside in-person information sessions accompanying each grant call. The initiative demonstrated successful partnerships with the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, the National Arts Councils of Zimbabwe and Botswana, the Eswatini National Trust Commission, the Babukisi Foundation, the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, Arts and Culture, and the Lesotho Copyright Society of Authors and Artists (LESCOSAA), all of which provided venue support and participant mobilisation. More than 400 people attended the workshops across six cities and four countries.

In Lobamba, Eswatini, the workshop was co-facilitated by the Babukisi Foundation. Thobetjane Magagula, director of the foundation, highlighted the importance of practical guidance in helping artists navigate funding opportunities and develop their project ideas: Being part of this workshop with AEPC was an opportunity to support artists in Eswatini with practical guidance on accessing funding and developing their project proposals. We hope the knowledge gained will help artists build confidence in presenting their ideas and pursuing opportunities to grow their work.
Local practitioners like Magagula carry the work on after the sessions end, helping artists apply what they have learned to their own projects. While workshops provide a space to engage with funding requirements, ongoing local support can help artists navigate questions and consider how to apply that guidance to their own projects.

The workshops are part of the Southern Africa Component's wider outreach to artists and cultural practitioners. Follow AEPC’s official communication channels for updates, future calls for applications and opportunities across the region.