Sustainability Manager and Strategist for Cultural Institutions

Hybrid programme (Online and On-site)


Course forCultural Managers
Curators
Fundraisers
Students
fromAug 30, 2026toSep 26, 2026

Sustainability is becoming a defining challenge for museums, theatres, festivals, foundations, heritage sites and cultural organisations worldwide. As ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria become increasingly important for funding, partnerships and public accountability, the sector needs professionals who can turn sustainability ambitions into measurable results. This intensive one-month programme prepares participants to take on that role.

Sustainability Manager and Strategist for Cultural Institutions

The programme is structured in two parts. The first (31 August - 18 September 2026) consists of three weeks of live online sessions, with recordings available for all participants. The second (21–27 September 2026) is an intensive one-week residency in Santa Sofia, a small town in the Apennines between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany and a gateway to the Foreste Casentinesi National Park. Participants who complete the entire programme are awarded the Professional Certificate in Sustainability Management and Strategy for Cultural Institutions, while those who attend only the online phase may obtain the First Level Certificate in Sustainability Management for Cultural Institutions.

At the heart of the programme is the development of a Sustainability Portfolio, a professional document built around a real case study: the participant’s own organisation, for those already working within a cultural institution, or an institution assigned by the programme in the case of independent professionals. The portfolio includes organisational analysis, stakeholder mapping, ESG frameworks, impact measurement tools, sustainability strategy, KPI systems, communication plans, and sustainable fundraising and sponsorship strategies.

The residency week is dedicated to applying acquired competences within a real and complex cultural ecosystem, including a contemporary art gallery, a theatre, heritage assets, festivals and territorial projects. The week culminates in the International Forum on the Sustainability of Culture, offering participants the opportunity to engage with professionals, public administrators, researchers and cultural practitioners from a variety of international contexts. While the online phase provides technical tools and professional competences, the residency develops practical skills, strategic vision, leadership and professional networks. 

The residential week in Santa Sofia is open to a limited number of attendees.

The programme is coordinated by Martin Neureiter, founder of CSR Company International and one of Europe’s leading experts in sustainability, corporate responsibility and ESG strategy. Alongside him, the programme brings together some of the most important international figures working at the intersection of sustainability and culture, including Jean Savitsky (Director of Sustainability, MoMA, New York), ⁠Eliana Glicklich (Senior Manager of Real estate and sustainability, MoMA, New York), Marta Lovato (Head of Sustainability, Santarcangelo Festival), Virginia Rollando (Sustainability Consultant including Terraforma, Nextones, Walking Life and Nuits Sonores), Kim Kraczon (conservator/sustainability specialist), Laura Pando (Julie’s Bicycle CEO), Grace Redmond (Julie’s Bicycle Environmental Coordinator), Pierluigi Sacco (Professor of Biobehavioral Economics, Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Consultant with OECD and the European Commission), Eike Schmidt (Director of Museo di Capodimonte) and Fabio Cavallucci, former Director of the Centro Pecci in Prato and the CCA Ujazdowski in Warsaw, and founder and director of Institution.

A significant part of the programme is devoted to strategic and sustainable fundraising, exploring how cultural institutions can develop long-term partnerships that create lasting value for cultural organisations and their funding partners. It features experts in impact investing, cultural finance, and crowdfunding, including Laura Callanan (Founding Partner of Upstart Co-Lab), Nathalie Courville (Professor at the Chair in Arts Management at HEC Montréal, Founder of ArtExpert), and Anders Rykkja (Lecturer in Arts & Cultural Industries Management, Queen’s University Belfast). Depending on the level of certification achieved, participants will be able to design and implement sustainability plans, develop KPI systems and ESG reports, coordinate stakeholder engagement processes, build sustainable fundraising and sponsorship plans, or even conduct audits and support organisations in developing increasingly sophisticated and integrated sustainability strategies.

The program is held in English.

Consult the detailed programme here.

The full programme costs €1,850 (Third Tier until 25 August 2026: €1,600). Preferential accommodation rates are available for participants attending the residency week in Santa Sofia at this link.

Purchase the full programme here.

Participation in the online phase only costs €850 (Third Tier until 25 August 2026: €750).

Purchase the online programme here.

Institution offers reduced participation fees for selected applicant categories. Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria may enrol in the programme at a reduced rate.


Students under 26
Full programme
Online programme
Entry-level Professionals (until 28 years old)
Full programme
Online programme
Lower-middle and Lower Income countries
Full programme
Online programme

Individual participation grants
Institution offers 20 Individual Participation Grants, each worth 200 EUR, to support participation in the programme. The grant may be applied to either the Online Course or the Full Course. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and grants are awarded until all available places have been allocated. Applicants are invited to submit a short motivation statement and fill out this form.

For further information, please contact: school@institution.it


Professors

Martin Neureiter

Martin Neureiter

Born in Salzburg, Law studies in Salzburg, Vienna and London (London School of Economics). After working with the Salzburg Provincial Government, joined the Austrian Parliament as political adviser. Afterwards office manager at the European Parliament, later at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, followed by a year in Kosovo as deputy head of the Democratisation Department of the OSCE. Since 2004 founder and CEO of “The CSR Company international”, a consultancy specialised on Corporate Social Responsibility, with offices in 40 countries, reaching from Mexico to Korea. He is Chair of the Implementation Task Group within ISO (International Standards Organisation) writing the ISO 26 000 standard – published November 2010.

Jean Savitsky

Jean Savitsky

Jean Savitsky is the Director of Real Estate and Sustainability at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Prior to this position, Jean was the Director of Real Estate Expansion at MoMA, leading the team that managed the Museum’s expansion project, completed in 2019. Savitsky has extensive experience in the construction, real estate, and green building industries across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. In addition to deep expertise in construction project management, she has experience developing green real estate strategies and delivering building-retrofit, energy optimization, and LEED projects. Jean has a BS from Stevens Institute of Technology, an MBA from CUNY- Baruch College, and an AAS in interior design from Parsons School of Design.

Laura Callanan

Laura Callanan

Laura Callanan, founding partner of Upstart Co-Lab, is connecting impact investing to the creative economy. Since 2016, Upstart has framed the creative economy as an impact investing priority, garnered international attention for impact investing in the creative economy, and directly mobilized $45 million in alignment with its mission. Before launching Upstart Co-Lab, Laura led all grant-making programs, operations, and research as senior deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. As a consultant with McKinsey & Company’s Social Sector Office, Laura led work on social innovation, sustainable capitalism, and social impact assessment. She previously served as senior adviser at the United Nations Development Programme; executive director of the Prospect Hill Foundation; and associate director at the Rockefeller Foundation where, in addition to her responsibilities managing the endowment, she co-led the Foundation’s first impact investing efforts which included two investments in the creative economy: Smithsonian Folkways Records and netomat.

Grace Redmond

Grace Redmond

Grace joined Julie’s Bicycle in 2025 as an Environmental Coordinator, specialising in carbon reporting and sector-specific impact analysis. With a background in Net Zero certification and a BSc in Environmental Science, she helps creative organisations to measure and reduce their environmental impacts. Grace believes that education, engagement, and empowerment, lies at the core of making positive climate action a reality.

Nathalie Courville

Nathalie Courville

Ms. Courville is a recognized expert in cultural engineering, primarily in the fields of culture, tourist attractions, and events, where she has worked for over 40 years. For many years, she has provided strategic consulting to a variety of cultural structures, associations, and event organizations of all types. Ms. Courville leads ArtExpert, a company with which she has collaborated for many years. She manages the team of experts surrounding the company and contributes her specific expertise in communications, marketing, financing, and branding strategies. Her international experience also enriches the existing expertise. She is also an adjunct professor at the Chair in Arts Management at HEC Montréal and has been a lecturer in the Graduate Diploma (DESS) and Master's programs in Cultural Organization Management since 2007.

Fabio Cavallucci

Fabio Cavallucci

Fabio Cavallucci is an Italian art critic, art historian, and prominent contemporary art curator who has directed multiple major cultural institutions in Italy and internationally. He has headed numerous art institutions in Italy and abroad: he was the founding director of the Vero Stoppioni Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art in Santa Sofia (1990–1998); artistic director of the Trento Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art (2001–2008); director of the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art[1] in Warsaw (2010–2014); he also directed the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato (2014–2017), reopening it following its expansion. He was coordinator of Manifesta 7 in 2008, artistic director of the 14th Carrara International Sculpture Biennale, and chief curator of the Bi-City Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, held in Shenzhen (2019–2020).

Kim Kraczon

Kim Kraczon

Kim Kraczon is a Berlin-based conservator of modern materials and contemporary art whose practice centers on developing and implementing sustainable practices in the visual arts sector. She focuses on reducing the socio-environmental impact of materials and methods used in conservation, art production, exhibition-making, and fine art transport. In collaboration with non-profit organizations such as Gallery Climate Coalition and Ki Culture, Kraczon creates online resources and tools that support a more ethical and environmentally sustainable art sector. Carrying out research at the intersection of sustainability and cultural heritage, she regularly leads workshops and delivers lectures on conservation ethics and sustainable strategies for museum professionals, gallery staff, and university students.

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Institution S.R.L. - Piazza Garibaldi, 12 - 47018 - Santa Sofia - Italy

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