FACE Contemporary Theater
Performing Arts
Adam Kissick/APAP
FACE Contemporary Theater, a French-American grant program, is dedicated to fostering innovative artistic collaborations in the field of theater and to contributing to the dynamism of intercultural dialogue and exchange between France and the US.
Created in 1999 by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, now Villa Albertine, Institut français and FACE Foundation, FACE Contemporary Theater encourages French-American artistic collaborations in theater, contemporary circus and puppetry, allocating grants to French or American nonprofit institutions.
Since 2017, the program has expanded beyond artists based in France to include projects by artists from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East performing in the United States, as long as their work is co-produced by French cultural institutions. In this age of global mobility, the goal is to support artists with varied backgrounds and influences, in order to promote a multiplicity of voices and foster a rich intercultural dialogue.
Projects are evaluated by an independent committee after an annual application call. Since its creation, FACE Contemporary Theater has distributed more than $3.2 million dollars to more than 300 projects that reflect the cultural and artistic diversity of the French and American contemporary scenes.
If you would like to know more about the projects selected in 2023, click HERE
Contact: Nicole Birmann Bloom, Program Officer, Performing Arts
In partnership with
Ministry of Culture
The French Ministry of Culture aims to make the major works of humanity— and especially those of France— accessible to the largest number of people possible. As such, it maintains a policy of conservation, of protection, and of development of all components of French cultural heritage. It promotes the creation of works of art and of the mind, and the development of art practices and education. It further contributes to cultural initiatives outside of France, and to initiatives relating to the establishment of French cultural programs throughout the world.
Institut français
The Institut français is responsible for France’s international cultural program. Supervised by both the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Ministry of Culture, it promotes French culture abroad through cultural exchange initiatives. Operating in a space where the arts, intellectual exchange, cultural and social innovation, and linguistic partnerships interact and intersect, it is also responsible for promoting the French language and the sharing of works, artists, and ideas all over the world. The Institut français is one of Villa Albertine’s main French partners.
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Louis Roederer Foundation
The Louis Roederer Foundation was founded in 2011 with the purpose of strengthening Louis Roederer’s sponsorship activity, which followed on from its discovery of the photography collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 2003.
Since being awarded the title of “Major Patron of Culture and Arts”, the Foundation has supported outstanding cultural actions undertaken by recognised institutions in France and abroad. It has demonstrated a longstanding and deep commitment to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais and the Jeu de Paume, in Paris. The Foundation is also committed to the French Academy – Villa Medici in Rome, and has recently took part alongside the Villa Albertine in the United States.
Through its Photography Research Grant to the Bibliothèque nationale de France, its Rising Star Award at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, its Revelation Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival, and its Discovery Award at the Rencontres d’Arles, the Louis Roederer Foundation plays its favourite role in supporting and nurturing talented up-and-coming artists.
