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 2026, 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 1,000 Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria.
THEATER
Nominated by: Beth Morrison Projects
Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor
I am a composer, performer, and writer working in music, theater, dance and film.
Nominated by: Ars Nova
Gant Gaither Theater Honor
I am a composer, writer, and performing artist who works primarily in theater and music.
Nominated by: The Juilliard School
Grace Le Vine Theater Honor
I am an actor, writer, producer and singer-songwriter who works primarily in film and theater.
Nominated by: Queensborough Community College
Fabergé Theater Honor
I am a scenic designer for theater, opera, and dance who strives to develop bold and challenging new work whose stories engage with design as an integral part of the storytelling process.
Nominated by: Manhattan School of Music
John Gore Theater Honor
I am a performing artist and creative, specializing in songwriting, voice, theater, directing and choreography.
THEATER HONORARIA
Nominated by: Goodman Theatre
I am a composer, sound designer, performer, and live-looper whose work primarily lives in theater, using music-driven storytelling and immersive sound to create new plays, musicals, and live performance.
Nominated by: National Queer Theater
I am an actor, composer-lyricist, writer, and theatermaker working primarily in multidisciplinary theatrical work.
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner nicHi douglas (Theater 2021)
I am a live performance and film artist who primarily works as a director and lighting designer.
PLAYWRITING FELLOWSHIP
New Dramatists
Playwriting Fellowship
I am a playwright.
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Jacquelin Harris (Dance 2017)
Chris Hellman Dance Honor
I am a dance artist.
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Andrea Miller (Choreography 2009), Artistic Director of GALLIM
I am a professional dancer, primarily collaborating and working within the world of concert dance.
Nominated by: Saint Louis Dance Theatre
I approach my creative process as a vessel, trusting that movement can transform personal experience into meaningful connection. I guide dancers through improvisation and embodied reflection, encouraging them to draw from their own stories so authentic movement emerges. My goal is to create work that uplifts, connects, and inspires, building a sense of village.
Nominated by: Kyle Abraham, Princess Grace Award winner (Choreography 2010), Artistic Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
I am a multifaceted dancer who uses movement as a canvas for artistic expression, sharing my artistry with diverse audiences.
DANCE PERFORMANCE HONORARIA
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Mario Alberto Zambrano (Dance 1995)
I am an expressive dancer with training across classical, modern, and contemporary dance forms.
Nominated by: George Mason University School of Dance
I am a multifaceted movement practitioner who primarily works in concert dance.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Nominated by: South Chicago Dance Theatre
I am a choreographer, creating dance works for the stage and film.
Nominated by: USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance
I am a choreographer, performer, and director who works wherever movement might be explored.
CHOREOGRAPHY HONORARIA
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Michelle Dorrance (Choreography 2012), Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance
I am a tap dancer, instructor, performer, and choreographer.
FILM & ANIMATION
Nominated by: New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Sir Roger Moore Film Honor
I’m a director, writer, producer, and editor working primarily in film and television.
Nominated by: Brown Girls Doc Mafia
John H. Johnson Film Honor
I am a filmmaker and editor who primarily works on long-form documentaries.
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Gustavo René Sanabria (Film 2024)
I am a writer and film director whose work spans short- and long-form documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Nominated by: Upstander Project
I am a film director and writer whose work spans narrative and documentary filmmaking.
Nominated by: Columbia University, School of the Arts
Cary Grant Film Honor
I am an independent filmmaker who primarily directs and writes narrative films that blend genres ranging between drama, dark comedy and magical realism, often through observational storytelling with a satirical or moral lens.
Nominated by: New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor
I am a filmmaker, documentarian, cinematographer, photographer and multimedia artist who works primarily in experimental animation.
FILM HONORARIA
Nominated by: Create Humanity
I am a documentary filmmaker and poet interested in social justice and the natural world.
Nominated by: California Institute of the Arts, School of Film/Video
I am a visual artist who works primarily in animation.
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Ham Tran (Film 2001)
I am a German-Tunisian writer, director, and producer working across film and television, using genre, dark humor, and the absurd to explore power, migration, identity, and family.
Nominated by: Princess Grace Award winner Rafael Samanez (Film 2018
I am a filmmaker.
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 2026, 8 artists will receive Special Project grants.
SPECIAL PROJECT GRANTS
Established in 2025 in partnership with MAP Fund, the Princess Grace Artist Fellowship provides 4 Fellows with a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant, paired with one–on–one coaching and participation in a peer–based virtual retreat through MAP Fund’s Scaffolding for Practicing Artists (SPA) program.
PRINCESS GRACE ARTIST FELLOWS
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.
There are 2 types of Grace Kelly scholarships:
- Grace Kelly Training Scholarships (Grades 9-11): Recipients selected annually will receive a one-time award of $1,000 to encourage ongoing pursuit of artistic education.
- Grace Kelly Scholarships: 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
Rolando Arias
Scenic Design
Hayden Diecidue
Musical Theater
Brooke Jones
Musical Theater
Ansu Kosiah
Musical Theater
Jaida Miller
Musical Theater
Alexander Mezger
Lighting Design
Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients
Year 1
Selected in 2026, these students are in the first year of their four-year scholarship.
Natalie Arciniega
Costume Design
Brenna Charlick
Musical Theater
Ka’Sean Francis
Musical Theater
Holden Sysler
Lighting Design
Jasiah Taylor
Musical Theater
Sarnie Vigon
Musical Theater
Year 2
Selected in 2025, these students are in the second year of their four-year scholarship.
Aaron Ballentine
Musical Theater
Alyssa Dorsey
Musical Theater
Jordin Gayle
Acting
Lyric Patino
Acting
Roger Wang
Musical Theater
Year 3
Selected in 2024, these students are now in the third year of their four-year scholarship.
Reagan Bliss
Set Design
Kenna Edwards
Acting
Emily Hacking
Costume Design
Megan Janger
Makeup and Wig Design
Elizabeth Keller
Directing
Liam Redford
Musical Theater
Year 4
Selected in 2023, these students are now in the final year of their four-year scholarship.
Zari McIntosh
Acting
Zalah Vallien
Musical Theater
Isis Washington
Makeup Design
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 2026, applicants to the Princess Grace Awards self-identified a primary discipline and secondary discipline(s) to be evaluated in.
2026 Princess Grace Awards Panelists
Theater
Jared Mezzocchi*, Chair
Lap Chi Chu
Amanda Cooper
Shana Cooper*
Jim Findlay*
Derek Goldman
Bruce Lemon*
Patricia McGregor
Naysan Mojgani
Seret Scott
James Scruggs
Arya Shahi
Jenny Tibbels
Dance & Choreography
Elisa Clark*, Chair
Kyle Abraham*
Nigel Campbell*
Michelle Gibson
Brinda Guha
Craig Hall
Lar Lubovitch
Stephanie Martinez
Rashaun Mitchell*
Jane Rabinovitz Raleigh
Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish
Margaret Tracey*
Mario Alberto Zambrano*
Film
Heidi Saman*, Chair
Jessica Bardsley*
Ximena Amescua Cuenca
Eric Darnell*
Tanya Elaine Hamilton
Byron Hurt
Darol Olu Kae
Kayla Myers
Roya Rastegar
Shrihari Sathe
John Summerson*
Grace Zahrah
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 Project
Melia Bensussen*
Terese Capucilli*
Sky Hopinka*
Billy Luther
Ken-Matt Martin
Robyn Mineko Williams*
Princess Grace Artist Fellowship
Linda Blackaby
Nigel Campbell*
Woo J. Cho
Michael John Garcés*
*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.
Cover photo of Kalen Simpson (Dance 2026)