Our Mission
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.
Established in 1982 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, the Foundation was created to honor the legacy of His wife, Princess Grace, an independent American woman, Oscar-winning Hollywood icon, and the globally beloved Princess of Monaco. After Her tragic death, Her family wanted to create an organization that reflected Her love for Her native country and Her profound dedication to the arts. During Her reign, Princess Grace brought arts and culture to Monaco while also quietly supporting countless American performing and film artists. This is the legacy that inspires the Foundation’s mission.
The Princess Grace Awards continue that noble legacy, activating arts patrons from around the world and granting millions of dollars to empower the diverse, inspiring, and extraordinary artists who have received the performing arts’ most distinctive honors – Academy Awards, Tony Awards, MacArthur Genius Awards, Pulitzer Prizes – and who are shaping the American cultural landscape.
Princess Grace Awards recognizes creative generators (animators, theater directors, designers, playwrights, choreographers, filmmakers, etc.) and performance based creatives (actors, dancers, etc.) and across all disciplines the primary emphasis is the promise of extraordinary.
Since its inception, dedicated patrons to the arts have donated millions of dollars to sustain the Awards administered by the Foundation and more than 900 recipients have been granted funding throughout their artistic careers. As part of that support, many patrons have created Legacy Grants which offer Named Awards to artists.
In 2020, the Princess Grace Foundation launched Grace Influential, a global relevance campaign celebrating Grace Kelly’s iconic status as a tastemaker. Grace Influential celebrates Grace Kelly, an original influencer, and modern Monaco, curating a chic assemblage of insider stories, insights, and conversations, all lovingly overseen by the Princely Family of Monaco.
In 2021, the Princess Grace Foundation launched Grace de Monaco, a new luxury line. The first of its kind, Grace de Monaco is a luxury brand wholly owned by the Princess Grace Foundation with all profits going directly to the Princess Grace Awards. Overseen by the Princely Family of Monaco and the Foundation’s Board of Trustees to bring awareness to Princess Grace, Her life, Her legacy, and most importantly our core mission – the Princess Grace Awards, Grace de Monaco is an essential part of the Foundation’s path forward to build revenue to sustain our mission of supporting artists for years to come.
Theater & Playwriting Oscar Isaac, Sam Gold, Leslie Odom Jr., Bridget Carpenter, Anna D. Shapiro, Darron L West, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Lila Neugebauer, Carly Hughes
Dance & Choreography Kyle Abraham, Camille A. Brown, Robert Battle, Gillian Murphy, Tiler Peck, Pavel Zuštiak, Isabella Boylston, David Hallberg, Ethan Stiefel, Jacqueline Green, Michelle Dorrance
Film Cary Fukunaga, Jon M. Chu, Greg Mottola, David Riker, Ian Olds, Iva Radivojevic, Jon-Sesrie Goff, Kerry Laitala, Rachel Israel, Reinaldo Green, Stephen Hillenburg, Chinonye Chukwu
The Princess Grace Foundation is a non-profit, publicly-supported charity, headquartered in New York City.
OUR HISTORY
Established in 1982 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, the Foundation was created to honor the legacy of His wife, Grace Kelly, an independent American woman, Oscar-winning Hollywood icon, and the globally beloved Princess of Monaco.