Call for Applications: The 2025 Albertine Translation Fund & Acquisition of Rights

Both programs are designed to support publishers and translators in adapting French books, with eligibility for titles spanning both initiatives where applicable.

Candidates may decide to apply for one or both grants from December 5, 2024 to February 6, 2025. Learn more about each opportunity below.

The Albertine Translation Fund | Session 1 of 2- 2025

The Albertine Translation Fund supports both translators and American publishers of English translations of works published in France within the last 10 years.

Twice a year, an independent committee of experts, including academics, translators, and publishers, selects works that showcase the diversity of the French literary scene. The fund supports books that reflect new trends in fiction, children’s literature, poetry, graphic novels, and nonfiction. 

The Albertine Translation grant awards $2,000 to cover publishing costs and an additional 50% of translation costs, not exceeding $5,000. Thus, the maximum amount that can be granted for a project is $7,000.

The selection committee additionally chooses two Albertine Translation prize winners among the recipients each year – one in fiction and one in nonfiction.  The winners receive $5,000, allocated to the books’ translators. 

Please note that works without an American publisher are still eligible for the Albertine Translation Fund, as long as the French publisher secures a rights acquisition agreement with an American publisher for the English translation within one year of the grant announcement.  

Works published in the US that benefit from the Albertine Translation Fund must feature the program’s logo on their cover and carry a mention of the program on the copyright page. 

Candidates may find more information about eligibility and guidelines on the applications portal: APPLY HERE.

In addition to filling out the application form, we request that applicants of the Albertine Translation Fund provide two physical copies of the book in French and one digital version of the original in French.

Physical copies of the book should be mailed to: 

Books & Ideas Department – Albertine Translation
Villa Albertine, The French Institute for Culture and Education
972 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10075, USA 

Please send a PDF version of the book to translation@villa-albertine.org 

The dates for the second call for applications will be announced in 2025.

Acquisition of Rights

Operated by Villa Albertine and coordinated by the Institut Français, the Acquisition of Rights program aims to provide financial assistance to American publishers seeking to acquire the rights of French works for publication in the United States.

The program helps American publishers cover the costs of acquiring the rights to French fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, and comic works for English translation. Please note that you can only apply for this program if no advance has been paid to the French publisher. If you plan to apply, you must negotiate a deferred payment with the French publisher when signing the contract.

Beneficiaries are selected by the Institut français, with a preference given to books published in the past ten years. The grant is paid directly to the French publisher and cannot exceed the amount of the first advance for acquiring the rights. The grant amount ranges from €500 to €5,000.

American publishers wishing to apply for the grant should fill out the online application form, and provide the following documents:

– A signed, balanced budget (download template here and send pdf version)
– A signed copy of the acquisition of rights contract with the French publisher (pdf)

All digital materials should be sent to: acquisitionofrights@villa-albertine.org

For any questions, please contact:

Laure Poupard
Program Officer, Books & Ideas