Beaumarchais Association - Grants for Creative Writing and Scriptwriting for Performing Arts

Beaumarchais-SACD writing grant

You will receive writing grant of about 5,000 EUR (4,168 EUR gross: 3,500 EUR will be paid to you and 668 EUR will go towards French social security contributions) to work on an independent project over a period of approximately one year. The grant is intended to provide financial support during the writing process. You will also receive personalised guidance on your project and the opportunity to be introduced to industry professionals and the public. Depending on the project, further support with production, publication or translation may follow. The grant is awarded by the Association Beaumarchais-SACD in Paris. It supports emerging artists in the fields of theatre, dance, circus, street art, opera and musical theatre, directing, film, television, animation, radio drama and virtual reality.

Who can apply

• Language: You must write in French. The project must be an original work and written in French; it must not be a translation from another language.
• Career stage: You are an emerging artist. In the field for which you are applying, no more than one of your works has been created or performed under professional conditions.
• Your project: The play has not yet been published and is still in the process of being written. It must not be performed until the results have been announced.
• One per field: A Beaumarchais Fellowship may be awarded only once per subject area. Only one project may be submitted per subject area and selection round.
• Nationality and age: Open to people of all nationalities and all age groups. You do not need to be a member of the SACD.
• Field: Your project falls within one of the 11 categories, ranging from theatre and dance to film, television and radio drama.

How to apply

Applications can be submitted free of charge via the joint online portal run by SACD and Beaumarchais. You create an account and upload your CV, a short cover letter and a project presentation of up to 20 pages. There is a separate committee for each field, each with its own submission deadline. Some deadlines are at the end of February, others in the autumn. A panel of volunteer experts from the relevant field selects the winners.

How realistic are your chances?

The scholarship is aimed exclusively at emerging authors who write in French and do not yet have a track record of success. Established authors are excluded, which means the pool of applicants is limited. If you can be clearly categorised within a specific discipline and submit a compelling, original project in French, you have a genuine chance of success. A well-prepared project presentation and submission within the correct application period are crucial, as each discipline is assessed only once per cycle.