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The Grace Kelly Scholarship for Thespian Excellence will identify and nurture the “best of the best” – representing the highest level of achievement and promise for high school theatre-makers and performers. The 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. A key component of the Grace Kelly Scholarship is mentorship, pairing young Scholarship recipients with Princess Grace Award winning mentors.
The Princess Grace Foundation has selected the industry-leading Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) as its esteemed partner to implement the Grace Kelly Scholarship through the International Thespian Excellence Awards (or Thespys), which recognize the highest level of achievement in high school theater performance and technical theater.
The Grace Kelly Scholarship, through the Thespys, will identify and nurture high school theater makers in the United States via two scholarship tracks:
- 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
The Grace Kelly Scholarship is part of the Princess Grace Foundation’s ongoing commitment to access, equity, inclusion and diversity. This new initiative will assist extraordinary aspiring theater artists at the high school level with financial support and mentorship to further develop their craft.
Read our press release on Broadway World
Guidelines
The 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. In partnership with the Educational Theatre Foundation’s International Thespian Society’s program, the opportunity will be made available to all students who show creative promise, with an emphasis on traditionally underserved communities, and will usher them into the theater pipeline towards further professional artistic development and successes.
Eligibility
The Grace Kelly Scholarship is in partnership with the Educational Theatre Foundation and recipients will be selected through the Educational Theatre Foundation’s International Thespian Excellence Awards (or Thespys), which recognize the highest level of achievement in high school theater performance and technical theater.
- To be eligible you must be part of the International Thespian Society
About the Educational Theatre Foundation
The Educational Theatre Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Educational Theatre Association, which is the home to the International Thespian Society. ETF provides essential financial support to enhance excellence in theatre education and to expand access to school theatre programs for every child, putting them on a more positive life path. In addition to scholarships, ETF is focused on three areas: creating sustainable musical theatre programs where there previously were none through JumpStart Theatre; awarding need-based grants to schools through the Thespian Relief Fund; and fostering racial equity in school theatre through the Pathway program.
*Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients are not Princess Grace Award winners and are eligible to apply for Princess Grace Awards in the future.
Learn more about the Princess Grace Awards.