Call for Applications: Albertine Music 2026
Music
L'itineraire (c) Antonio Gonima
Apply by January 30, 2026 for Albertine Music, a program designed to encourage, promote, and support artistic musical performances.
Albertine Music is a comprehensive grant program designed to support musical projects between French and American artists and ensembles in the fields of jazz and classical music—from Baroque to contemporary. This initiative marks an important step forward for Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation, deepening musical dialogues between France and the United States.
To ensure a tailored approach, two distinct juries will oversee the selection of projects: one dedicated to jazz and the other to classical music (from Baroque to contemporary).
The 2026 call for applications is open until January 30, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
This edition will fund projects taking place between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027.
Albertine Music is an Albertine Foundation and Villa Albertine program, supported by the French Ministry of Culture, Institut français, Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique (SACEM), and the Centre National de la Musique (CNM).
Financial support is offered through a range of grants:
- Creative Grants support projects jointly developed by French and American professional musicians and institutions that encourage original musical creations, including commissions by American ensembles to French composers or composers based in France, as well as U.S. premieres of French works.
- Touring Grants support touring projects of French or France-based musicians and ensembles with a minimum of three performances in the U.S.
- Educational Grants support educational and artistic exchange programs, including master classes, workshops, and short-term residencies at U.S. academic institutions and schools.
I. Creative Grants
- Commissions may include arrangements, compositions, rehearsals, performances, and recordings.
- U.S. premieres of French works will also be considered.
Priority will be given to:
- Projects involving artists or composers whose works have rarely been presented in the partner country.
- Projects involving new generations of composers.
- Projects involving women artists and/or composers.
- Projects reflecting diversity and inclusion.
The fund will not support individual artists directly.
II. Who Can Apply? (Creative Grants)
The Albertine Music program offers financial support in the form of grants to American or French nonprofit organizations that represent, produce, or present the project of the artist(s).
- The individual artists or ensembles involved should work at a professional level.
- The individual artists or ensembles involved must be French or U.S. citizens or legal residents for the past five years and currently reside in their respective territories.
- Applicants must be (or be represented by) an American nonprofit institution or a French association loi 1901.
- Applicants (or their representatives) must be able to demonstrate their nonprofit status.
III. Touring Grants
- Tours must include at least three shows or public programs (master classes are considered).
- Ensembles and artists must be based in France.
Priority will be given to:
- Projects involving artists or composers whose works have rarely been presented in the partner country.
- Projects presented in a minimum of three different cities.
- Projects involving new generations of composers.
- Projects involving women artists and/or composers.
- Projects reflecting diversity and inclusion.
The fund will not support individual artists directly.
IV. Who Can Apply? (Touring Grants)
The Albertine Music program offers financial support in the form of grants to American or French nonprofit organizations that represent, produce, or present the project of the artist(s).
- The individual artists or ensembles involved should work at a professional level.
- The individual artists or ensembles involved must be French citizens or legal residents for the past five years and currently reside in France or its territories.
- Applicants must be (or be represented by) an American nonprofit institution or a French association loi 1901. Presenting venues can apply individually. However, it is recommended to coordinate with other venues involved in a tour before applying.
- Applicants (or their representatives) must be able to demonstrate their nonprofit status.
- Artists and ensembles may submit applications for performances and tours only if they have obtained written engagement from presenting partners.
V. Educational Grants
- Educational and artistic exchange programs may include master classes, workshops, and teaching residencies in U.S. academic institutions and schools.
Priority will be given to:
- Projects involving artists or composers whose works have rarely been presented in the partner country.
- Projects involving new generations of composers.
- Projects involving women artists and/or composers.
- Projects reflecting diversity and inclusion.
The fund will not support individual artists directly.
VI. Who Can Apply? (Educational Grants)
The Albertine Music program offers financial support in the form of grants to American or French nonprofit organizations that represent, produce, or present the project of the artist(s).
- The individual artists or ensembles involved should work at a professional level.
- The individual artists or ensembles involved must be French or U.S. citizens or legal residents for the past five years and currently reside in their respective territories.
- Applicants must be (or be represented by) an American nonprofit institution or a French association loi 1901.
- Applicants (or their representatives) must be able to demonstrate their nonprofit status.
- Artists and ensembles may submit applications only if they have obtained written engagements from U.S. academic institutions and schools.
- Call for Applications Opens: December 1, 2025
- Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
- Announcement of Grantees: June 2026
- Projects must take place between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027
Contact
Dylan Hadida
Music Program Officer
In partnership with
Albertine Foundation
Albertine Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French American relations through innovative cultural and educational programs.
In close partnership with Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, Albertine Foundation administers grant programs across diverse creative disciplines including visual and performing arts; cinema; and literature, while also supporting exploratory residencies for creative professionals and thinkers across the United States. Albertine Foundation also contributes to promoting French language learning in the United States and funds new opportunities for students, professors, and researchers in the spheres of secondary and higher education.
Albertine Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation by Internal Revenue Service determination. Contributions from corporate, foundation, and individuals are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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.
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.
SACEM
The role of SACEM is to provide protection, representation and service for original music composers, authors and publishers SACEM collects authors’ rights and redistributes the payments to the rights-holders SACEM promotes and supports original creative music in every different form. SACEM is a private entity; it is a non-trading company [“société civile”] directed by authors, composers and publishers.
Centre national de la musique
Created on January 1, 2020, the CNM is an organization designed to accompany and support the various stakeholders in the music sector, from artists and songwriters to labels, music publishers, concert promoters, venues, managers, sound engineers and retailers. The CNM is a public-private partnership, operating under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture.