Careers in the performing arts should be open to all who aspire to them, and especially those for whom such a career requires navigating economic, social and symbolic hurdles. In order to help future artists make their dreams a reality, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès has developed a programme of means-tested bursaries for students whose financial situation may prevent them from expressing their full potential and succeeding in their performing-arts training.

In practical terms, the bursaries are open to students who have been accepted on dance, theatre, circus or puppetry programmes at one of twenty partner institutions located throughout France. After an open call for applications, bursaries are awarded by a selection committee who have already enabled three cohorts of bursary students to be supported by the Foundation. The amount awarded varies according to the financial circumstances of each applicant, and the bursaries are delivered in monthly instalments for a period of up to three academic years. This financial support aims to free students from everyday economic concerns so that they can fully dedicate themselves to their artistic training.

Mindful of the challenge that the first years of a professional career can represent for your performers, the Foundation extends its commitment to Artists in the Community bursary recipients beyond the end of their studies. It invites each cohort to create a collective piece, directed by a recognized professional artist in a gesture of transmission which encourages each young performer to reveal their talents and showcase their abilities. Each of these works is presented to the public in professional conditions, in what represents an important milestone at the start the careers of these young artists, each of whom will contribute in their own way to renewing the contemporary performance scene.