The Princess Grace Foundation
Princess Grace of Monaco spent her life committed to helping young emerging artists pursue and realize their dreams. After her death in 1982, her husband, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, put together a group of people to establish a tribute to the legacy of his wife - the Princess Grace Foundation USA. Since that time, the foundation has pursued a singular mission of identifying and helping new performing artists in dance, theater, and film by awarding scholarship, fellowship, and apprenticeship grants.
The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is awarded nationally, and is a not-for-profit public charity. It is an entirely separate institution from the Princess Grace Foundation, Monaco, which was founded by Princess Grace herself and is now overseen by her daughter, the Princess of Hanover. From the beginnings of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, the effort has been supported by numerous dedicated public figures, including Frank Sinatra, producer Gant Gaither, John Johnson, Mary Wells Lawrence, and Williams Rogers. An Arts Advisory Board of the foundation, comprised professionals in each field of artistic discipline endorsed by the foundation, chooses the most talented award applicants as winners.
President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan attended in 1984 when the first grants from the foundation were awarded, during a weekend filled with events in Washington, D.C., including a reception at the White House. The same celebratory tradition has continued each year, with new recipients being honored at a gala in New York City. The winners who have displayed the most consistent excellence in theater, film, or dance, have been given the highest honor the Foundation awards - the Princess Grace Statue Award, a bronze statuette of the princess created by Kees Verkade, the Monegasque artists. This award has been granted to 49 artists so far, who also received a monetary gift along with the statuette.
Throughout the past 25 years, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA has awarded almost $5 million to about 500 dance, theater, and film artists across the nation. The foundation continues to fund the disciplines for which it was inaugurated, as well as expanding the grants program to also include choreography and playwriting grants within the dance and theater categories. The film category was added in 1989, and in 2003, the Special Project Award was added as a separate category. These grants provide funding for specific projects for consequential arts opportunities.
The future of the Foundation remains secure with a solid board of directors and principal leaders at its core. The organization is financially stable and with support and expert guidance, it will continue to grow substantially while remaining faithful to its original founding mission to support the goals and aspirations of emerging artists. The Princess Grace Awards winners will continue to inspire creative ways for talented new performing artists to achieve their goals.
