Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation - Fondation Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Vocational Scholarships

Benefit

You will receive a one-off grant of 15,000 EUR to fund a project that will help you pursue your calling. The grant is tied to the specific project you have submitted, regardless of the field: baking, astrophysics, sailing, medicine, dance, law, art or something else entirely. Every year, this French foundation, which has been supporting young people since 1959, awards 20 of these grants. Should the jury not select you for this prize, you will automatically be considered for a second award, the ‘Prix de l’Espérance’, worth 8,000 EUR. As a winner, you will also retain lifelong access to a support fund that you can draw on later in your career.

Eligibility

• Age: You are between 18 and 30. You must have reached the age of 18 by 31 December of the award year and must not yet have reached the age of 31.
• Nationality: You are French, regardless of whether you live in France or abroad. If you hold another nationality, you must live in France or carry out your project in France.
• Field: Any profession or occupation is suitable. No specific qualification is required.
• A real vocation: You’re already well on your way, or you can point to concrete results that are bringing you closer to your goal – it’s not just an idea.
• Financial need: You’re having financial difficulties that might prevent you from carrying on.
• Type of project: Start-ups, donations to charitable causes and political or religious projects will not be accepted.

You must meet all the criteria at the same time. If you are not selected, you may apply up to two further times.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the Foundation’s portal between 1 January and 31 May, accompanied by a CV and a covering letter. If your application passes the initial screening, you will have two weeks to submit your full application documents. Selected candidates may be invited to interviews before the main jury selects the winners in October.

How realistic are your chances?

Only 20 of these scholarships are awarded each year, and the foundation places great importance on a genuine, already established vocation, as well as a genuine financial need. Competition is therefore fierce, and a vague plan is not enough. If you can demonstrate concrete steps towards pursuing your vocation and explain why financial constraints are holding you back, your chances are good. Even if you are rejected once, you still have two more attempts.