The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to upholding the legacy of Princess Grace of Monaco, (née Grace Kelly) and elevating extraordinary emerging artists in theater, dance and film through career-advancing grants.
Her commitment to advance the arts in the United States is sustained by the Princess Grace Awards which supports and elevates extraordinary early career artists in theater, dance and film through game-changing grants; and nurtures and supports Princess Grace Award winners throughout their careers.
In 2023, the Princess Grace Foundation is proud to recognize 18 Princess Grace Award winners and 11 Honoraria recipients. This extraordinary group of artists join our community of over 900 Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria.
THEATER
Nominated by: The Juilliard School
Grace Le Vine Theater Honor
I am an actor and theater-maker, with a background in improvisation.
Nominated by: David Mendizábal, Princess Grace Award winner (Theater 2021)
John Gore Theater Honor
I am a choreographer, filmmaker and director working in theater, dance and film.
Nominated by: UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Pierre Cardin Theater Honor
I am a costume designer who works primarily in film and theater.
Nominated by: Lucas Baisch, Princess Grace Award winner (Playwriting 2021)
Gant Gaither Theater Honor
I am a writer/performer working across solo performance, playwriting, and poetry, deeply invested in the complex relationship between tenderness and brutality.
Nominated by: University of California, San Diego
Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor
I am a sound designer who works primarily in theatre.
THEATER HONORARIA
Nominated by: Stanford University
I am an actor, playwright, filmmaker, and healer who works primarily in theatre and film.
Nominated by: The Public Theater
I am a proud Gay Mexican Scenic Designer with Indigenous Mexica (Aztec) roots who works primarily in theatre.
Nominated by: Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama
I am a theater artist mainly working as a costume designer with a strong performance background.
Nominated by: American Repertory Theater
I am a composer-lyricist-librettist and writer who works primarily in theater and film.
Nominated by: California Institute of the Arts
I am a theater director with a practice in performance art, video, sculpture, and writing.
PLAYWRITING FELLOWSHIP
New Dramatists
Playwriting Fellowship
I am a Black, Haitian-American NYC-born and based writer, director, performer, and educator who creates vortexes that center, celebrate and amplify Black folks through an Afrosurrealist lens.
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Nominated by: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
I am a multidisciplinary dance artist trained in classical, concert, and commercial styles currently engaged in contemporary dance.
Nominated by: National Institute of Flamenco
I am a New Mexican flamenco dancer and choreographer, trained in performance repertory, choreography, solo improvised tablao work, and pedagogy.
Nominated by: American Ballet Theatre
Chris Hellman Dance Honor
I am a professional ballet dancer.
DANCE PERFORMANCE HONORARIA
Nominated by: Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
I am a vessel, artist, and athlete, who heals and inspires through dance.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Nominated by: Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
I am a queer choreographer and dance artist creating emotionally driven works for stage and film.
Nominated by: A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
I am an artist who works primarily in choreography and dance performance.
CHOREOGRAPHY HONORARIA
FILM & ANIMATION
Nominated by: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts
I am a filmmaker who works across non-fiction and experimental forms.
Nominated by: California Institute of the Arts
Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor
I am an animation filmmaker who works primarily in experimental narratives.
Nominated by: Columbia University School of the Arts
Sir Roger Moore Film Honor
I am a writer/director who works primarily in narrative forms.
Nominated by: Pepi Ginsberg, Princess Grace Award winner (Film 2021)
Cary Grant Film Honor
I am a writer and director, who works primarily in Film.
Nominated by: Hunter College
I am an artist working primarily with 2D hand-drawn animation.
FILM HONORARIA
Nominated by: Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Arts Center
I am an Onöndowa’ga:’ story keeper and filmmaker whose work spans documentary, creative non-fiction, and experimental video art.
Nominated by: California Institute of the Arts
I am a filmmaker and animator who creates whimsical, offbeat, and heartfelt films.
Nominated by: Brown Girls Doc Mafia
I am a director and cinematographer, I work primarily in documentary film.
Nominated by: New York University Tisch School of the Arts
I am an endlessly curious writer/director who uses film and television to understand the world in which I live and the people who populate it.
ADVANCEMENT GRANTS
The Princess Grace Foundation continues to support and nurture our Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria throughout their artistic journey, offering exclusive grants to Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria for uniquely significant projects that advance their artistic development. In 2023, 9 artists will receive Special Project grants and 2 artists will receive Works in Progress residencies, in partnership with the Baryshnikov Arts.
SPECIAL PROJECT GRANTS
WORKS IN PROGRESS RESIDENCY AWARDS
GRACE KELLY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Grace Kelly Scholarship for Thespian Excellence identifies and nurtures high school theatre-makers and performers. In partnership with the Educational Theatre Foundation, Grace Kelly Scholarships provide access to the necessary resources and encouragement that meaningfully impacts young artists’ ability to succeed on their paths to becoming successful professional artists.
Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients are chosen from participants in the International Thespian Society and the annual International Thespian Excellence Awards (or Thespys). There are 2 types of scholarships:
- Grace Kelly Training Scholarships: (grades 9-11): 5 recipients selected annually will receive a one-time award of $1,000 to encourage ongoing pursuit of artistic education.
- Grace Kelly Scholarships: 5 recipients selected annually will receive a total of $6,000: $1,000/year 4-year scholarship to attend a college, conservatory, or pre-professional training program, a $1,000 award upon completion plus a $1,000 internship stipend. Winners will be paired with a professional mentor chosen by the Princess Grace Foundation from its Princess Grace Award winners.
Grace Kelly Training Scholarship recipients
Gavin Evanson
Musical Theater
Carter Pask
Makeup Design
Joey Roth
Musical Theater
Kayden Shelmire
Acting
Casey Swanson
Acting
Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients
Year 1
Year 1 Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients were selected in 2023, and this is Year 1 of their 4 year scholarship.
Zehra Hassan
Sound Design
Zari McIntosh
Acting
Jada Sifford
Musical Theater
Zalah Vallien
Musical Theater
Isis Washington
Makeup Design
Year 2
Year 2 Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients were selected in 2022, and this is Year 2 of their 4 year scholarship.
Kevin Anderson
Musical Theater
Adam Flores
Acting
Daiara Garcia
Costume Design
J’kyil Poole
Acting
Nicholas Wilkinson
Musical Theater
Year 3
Year 3 Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients were selected in 2021, and this is Year 3 of their 4 year scholarship.
Margaret Hammond
Costume Design
Natalie Lawton
Stage Management
Grace Sorenson
Musical Theater
Pradanya Subramanyan
Stage Management
Trysten Williams
Acting
Selection Process
SELECTION PROCESS
Princess Grace Award winners and honoraria are selected annually by experts in theater, dance and film. Each panelist brings their own experience and aesthetic to the table, and decisions are made by panel consensus. Applicants undergo 2 stages of review.
In 2023, applicants to the Princess Grace Awards self-identified a primary discipline and secondary discipline(s) to be evaluated in.
2023 Princess Grace Awards Panelists
Theater
Rachel Sussman, Chair
Carlos Armesto*
Michael John Garces*
Rachel Hauck*
Ken-Matt Martin
Roberta Pereira
Seret Scott
Sam Willmott
Tamilla Woodard
Dance & Choreography
Margaret Tracey*, Chair
James Fayette
Claudia Schreier*
Pam Tanowitz
Endalyn Taylor
Eduardo Vilaro
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Film
Woo J. Cho, Chair
Miriam Bale
Rose Bond*
Dessane Lopez Cassell
Daniel Chein*
Roy Conli
Ayanna Dozier
Carlos A. Gutiérrez
Iva Radivojevic*
Josh Siegel
Advancement grants selected by panelists which include members of the Arts Advisory Council (AAC). Panelists are experts, practitioners and leaders in theater, dance and film. Each bring their own experience, expertise and aesthetic, and decisions are made by consensus in a multidisciplinary panel.
Special Projects & Works in Progress
Michael John Garces*
Billy Luther
Paul Singh
Abby Sun
Heléne Alexopoulos Warrick
Darron West*
*Previous Princess Grace Award winners
Grace Kelly Scholarships
Grace Kelly Scholarships are selected in partnership with the Educational Theatre Foundation (EdTF) with representatives from both EdTF and the Princess Grace Foundation serving as panelists. Princess Grace Award winner Carly Hughes (Theater 2003) serves as lead panelist and leads an Artist Round Table for all scholarship finalists.
