To boost its effectiveness and impact in the three areas we are committed to, the Foundation has chosen strategic programs it cares strongly about: support for researchers in the life sciences and the promotion of craftsmanship and choral singing. In the social field, following deep strategic reflection, the reformulation of the programs will be completed soon.
Going through the award, donation and support stages gives the Foundation a greater understanding of the sectors and their ecosystems. It can then develop visions and goals for each sector, mobilize players and organizations around a shared objective, shape interventions, join the public debate, etc.
The awards
The Foundation bestows five awards: three in science and two in culture. They are given to people who have made an exceptional impact in their field. Each year, independent juries choose 13 winners after a rigorous, demanding evaluation process.
Given in recognition of achievements in a particular field, the awards offer the winners a professional springboard and a chance to persevere on the road to innovation.
See all the laureatesThe science awards
Impulscience®
Each year, Impulscience awards seven grants to mid-career researchers in the life sciences. The program aims to support them in developing their research projects. The Foundation endows each project with 2.3 million euros for five years, a sum that includes management costs and a personal grant for the researcher.
Apply for the awardThe Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences
Each year, the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences awards a researcher under the age of 45 for his or her outstanding contribution to his or her field of scientific research. Depending on the year, the prize is awarded to a researcher working in France or in another European country. Twenty-nine researchers were awarded since 1997. From 2023 on, the laureate personally receives 100,000 euros.
Apply for the awardATIP-Avenir
The Fondation Bettencourt Schueller and Inserm’s Avenir program have been partners since 2005. In 2009, the Avenir program merged with the CNRS Biology Institute’s ATIP program. Since then, the Foundation has backed the ATIP-Avenir program, which encourages young, top-level researchers with an exceptional research project who want to set up their own team to move or return to France.
Apply for the awardThe art awards
The Liliane Bettencourt Prize pour l’intelligence de la main®
Since its creation, this award for craftsmen and women has honored the talent of 127 professionals working in a wide range of areas whose creations illustrate and highlight the intelligence of the hand. The award comes in three categories: Talents, Dialogues, Parcours (Contribution and Commitment)
Talents
This award is given to an artisan for a work that displays a perfect command of technique and craftsmanship. It must be innovative and aesthetic but also contribute to progress in the artisan’s area of expertise.
- Amount: 50,000 euros
- Funding: up to 100,000 euros depending on the project.
Dialogues
This award is given for collaboration between an artisan and a designer. The collaboration must result in a sufficiently accomplished prototype or an object that demonstrates both outstanding craftsmanship and creative design. Amount: €50,000 divided equally between the two winners
- Amount: €50,000 divided equally between the two winners,
- Funding: up to €150,000 for the winners to carry out experiments, research and innovation on their prototype or object.
Parcours
This award is given to a moral person for a strong commitment and contribution to French craftsmanship.
- Amount: €50,000
- Funding: up to €100,000 for a project that promotes French craftsmanship
There is no call for applications for this award. The Foundation invites a network of personalities to recommend organizations that meet the established criteria. Then, an outside panel of experts shortlists the recommendations and and submits them to the jury.
The Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Choral Singing
The Fondation Bettencourt Schueller’s commitment to choral singing stems from the wonderful values associated with this artistic practice brought to the level of excellence: personal fulfillment, the mastery of a technique shared with a group, the exemplary nature of demanding collective performances, the joyous thrill of singing, a beautiful, too-often-overlooked repertoire and music’s benefits for society.
ApplyDonations
The Foundation backs about a hundred projects each year. They are chosen after a long evaluation and selection process. Through its commitment, the Foundation aims to make a real difference. It aims to help project leaders move forward. This is why it prefers multi-year grants. It is also why it sometimes provides large unit amounts of funding.
See all the projects supported by the Foundation
Apply for a grantFunding
Over time, the Foundation’s backing for winners and project leaders has become at least as important as the financial assistance. Support involves listening, technical analyses, advice, networking and providing various skills to help the project leaders and foster dialogue that can lead to co-building the project. It leads the Foundation to increase the number of partnerships involving different players who make complementary contributions to achieving a specific goal.
Evaluation
The initial project selection process follows set procedures, including formalizing the various stages, assessing criteria, drawing on in-house or outside expertise and making decisions together.
When a project is chosen, the Foundation and the beneficiary receiving its backing sign an agreement or a commitment charter.
Throughout the project’s life, monitoring the agreements’ proper implementation and continuous dialogue between the Foundation's team and the project leaders allow both sides to share their points of view, adapt the forms of aid to needs and determine the best ways to leverage the support provided.
Lastly, for the most significant projects, the Foundation assesses the impact that its backing has on both the organization supported and the project’s beneficiaries.
And... the capacity for initiative
The methods and procedures ensure quality work. However, the Foundation reserves the right to intervene in new ways, from forging innovative partnerships to creating and launching self-sufficient projects that will in turn become organizations for supporting and accompanying projects in targeted fields.