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A message from the Executive Director
2025 was a landmark chapter for Friends of Fondation de France. Marking our 25th anniversary, it was a year of record-breaking milestones, with our project portfolio surpassing 200 initiatives and our donations received reaching an all-time high. However, beyond the figures, 2025 was defined by something far more profound: a boundless spirit of generosity that continues to strengthen the enduring friendship between our two countries.
Our work is founded on the belief that collaboration drives the greater good. This report highlights some of our projects around five themes that shaped the year:
- Philanthropy at the core of cancer treatment and research: showcasing how our partners work tirelessly to bridge the gap between innovative research and compassionate patient care.
- Beyond the Sea: following the United Nations Ocean Summit in Nice, we feature five initiatives that extend the philanthropic impact across our oceans.
- Technology for the Common Good: As the AI summit in Paris highlighted the rapid evolution of our world, we explore how we are harnessing new technologies to serve humanity and drive ethical progress
- International Solidarity: in a year of shifts in global aid, international solidarity remains the bedrock of effective, cross-border collaboration.
- Heritage & Modernity: we explore the concept of “transmission” – the practice of honoring our history while embracing the future
I am profoundly grateful for the trust our nonprofit partners place in us and for the expanding community of philanthropists who have chosen to walk this path with us. Thank you for your commitment to driving meaningful change worldwide,
Domitille Marchal Lemoine
Executive Director
Friends of Fondation de France
Our Mission and Values
Friends of Fondation de France is an American 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2000. We are dedicated to advancing French-American philanthropy by facilitating U.S.donor giving to trusted French and international projects.
In early 2026, we partner with more than 200 organizations to support their fundraising efforts in the United States. For 25 yearswe have enabled U.S. donors with the opportunity to make secure, tax-deductible donations to support charitable, educational, scientific, and other qualifying projects in France and abroad.
We believe that French-American collaboration has a unique potential to create innovative solutions to global challenges, rooted in shared values, history, and a centuries-old friendship. We are proud to play a role in bringing our two countries closer through philanthropy for positive, transformative change.
To empower the generosity that advances our partners’ missions, we place trust, security, and French-American friendship at the center of our work.
Trust
With a Platinum Transparency seal from Candid and a four-star Charity Navigator rating, we pride ourselves on upholding the highest standards of accountability and transparency. With over 25 years of experience, we enable donors to make a wide range of gifts while ensuring their intent is fully respected and responsibly stewarded.
Security
In partnership with Fondation de France, we leverage rigorous due diligence capacity and deep expertise in the French charitable landscape to ensure donors support effective, trustworthy, and transparent organizations. This partnership provides a secure and reliable framework, allowing donors to be confident in the impact of their gift to further the causes they care about. We also make sure that the funds were used as intended through grant reports.
French-American Friendship
As we mark 250 years of the United States, we also celebrate the enduring relationship between the U.S. and France, its longest-standing ally. We are proud to strengthen this historic bond by fostering a shared commitment to making a meaningful difference through philanthropy.
A Year In Numbers
Top 3 Donation Sectors:
- Arts, Culture & History
- Research
- Health
You helped raise $11,100,000 +
A Year in Pictures
Philanthropy at the core of cancer treatment and research
Clinical breakthroughs can transform global patient outcomes, yet their impact is entirely contingent upon the effective dissemination of knowledge. Philanthropy is the accelerator that makes that possible. From prevention and education to therapeutic arts programs, these projects are working to ensure that progress against cancer spreads in the hospital and beyond with the help of transatlantic generosity.
IARC: The importance of cancer prevention and education worldwide
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. While we mostly focus on early detection and finding new treatments, prevention is key. Today, research shows that up to four in ten cancers could be prevented through healthier environments, informed public policy, and better access to screening and education.
At the forefront of this research is the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialized agency of the World Health Organization. Headquartered in Lyon, IARC brings together scientists from more than 60 countries with one shared goal: to reduce the global burden of cancer by identifying its causes and promoting evidence-based prevention.
IARC’s work answers some of the most urgent public health questions of our time. What causes cancer? Which exposures are dangerous? Which prevention strategies truly work? Through its flagship programs, IARC conducts research worldwide to provide the scientific foundation that governments and health systems utilize to act.
For example, the IARC Monographs evaluate whether substances, ranging from air pollution to workplace chemicals, cause cancer. The IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention assess which interventions reduce cancer risk. The World Code Against Cancer Framework translates findings into practical recommendations that individuals and policymakers can follow.
IARC also strengthens global capacity by helping countries collect reliable cancer data, an essential step for designing effective prevention strategies. Programs like the IARC Learning Program train the next generation of researchers, especially in low- and middle-income countries where cancer rates are rising fastest.
Crucially, IARC makes its findings freely and publicly available, ensuring that life-saving knowledge reaches scientists, policymakers, and communities everywhere.
Fostering International Collaboration and Research: Institut Gustave Roussy
Institut Gustave Roussy is ranked 1st in cancer research in Europe and is the 6th best cancerology hospital globally. Their team of leading scientists has made it their mission to develop treatments for 80% of cancer patients by 2040.
The Institute blends innovation and humanity through its dual role as a research center and hospital. This offers a significant advantage for patients, as well as the flexibility to implement new treatments. Scientists and patients are located on the same campus, which makes the research more integrated.
Gustave Roussy has partnerships worldwide, including with the Massachusetts General Hospital, where scientists from the United States train with those from the institute. Other countries involved include China and India, making the institute a hub for international scientific collaboration.
According to Dr. Laurie Menger, Head of the Advanced T-Cell Therapy Group at Gustave Roussy: “Global collaboration is key—it’s essential. Cancer is a very complex disease that is also evolving. We need to mobilize the best minds and all the unique resources that we have.” Advances made in treatments, in France and beyond, benefit all patients and bring us closer to a world without cancer.
Launching a successful international campaign: Ella Toulouse for Fondation ARC
A Family’s Commitment to Funding Cancer Research
After losing their 23-year-old daughter Ella to a rare and aggressive cancer in April 2020, Cassie and Jean-Baptiste Toulouse channeled their grief into action. Recognizing that adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers are chronically underfunded—with survival improvements lagging behind both pediatric and older patients—the Franco-American family made it their mission to address this gap.
They began with SMARCB1 Hope, a non-profit organization fostering international scientific collaboration around SMARCB1-deficient cancers. As their ambitions grew, they partnered with Fondation ARC, a foundation entirely focused on cancer research, with international scientific committees specialized in identifying and funding the most promising projects. Together, they launched the Ella Toulouse Foundation for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers, with a first grant call in January 2026 already co-funding five AYA research projects.
For Cassie, the initiative draws strength from both sides of the Atlantic: “Support for science and research cannot have borders! Cancer certainly doesn’t. As humans, we are all in this together and must collaborate! There is fantastic research going on all over France, and it is really encouraging and heart-warming to see our American friends, family and contacts support it. Vive la Science!”
Care Beyond Treatment
Bringing the arts to healthcare to provide comprehensive support
Increasing awareness of the isolating conditions in hospitals has led many of our partners to build specific programs to entertain patients and healthcare workers, demonstrating the healing power of the arts.
A pioneer in this field, Le Rire Médecin, founded 35 years ago, works with 155 hospital clowns to deliver 100,000 performances yearly throughout France, providing entertainment for hospitalized children to help cope with pain and distress while supporting nurses and staff in young patient interactions. Their mission is to help these children regain a sense of normalcy during their care journeys while bringing laughter and joy into the hospital.
Many Friends of Fondation de France partners have also recognized the importance of bringing the arts to the hospital to provide comprehensive care that goes beyond medical interventions.
Fondation Gautier Capuçon, founded to support the musical vocation of young classical artists, also brings art as a form of light to hospitals. Young laureates perform each trimester at the adolescent psychiatry department of Hôpital Montsouris, as well as in support of the iWISH Institute for Women’s Health and every year at Hôpital Cochin on the occasion of World Prematurity Day.
The Orchestre de Paris (Philharmonie de Paris), Paris’ leading orchestra, organizes events designed to introduce classical music to people who require various medical devices and trains its musicians to visit patients one-on-one in hospitals. They perform for children at the Robert Debré and Armand Trousseau hospitals and also lead musical sessions for adult patients at the Institut Curie.
Tender Nights, organiser of “Les Arènes Lyriques,” an outdoor music festival in Paris, has created a special version of the festival called “Les Arènes Lyriques des enfants”, a program of performances presented in two hospitals and activity centers across Île-de-France.
A long-term partnership has been established between the Opéra de Lyon and the Hospices Civils de Lyon with the aim of expanding access to culture in hospital settings. This partnership involves initiatives to promote the arts and cultural activities for patients, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
The Canal Opéra de Lyon initiative thus provides free access to 58 hours of programming (56 recordings) across the network’s 13 hospitals. At the same time, artistic workshops—such as dance workshops at the Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant (103 young participants)—promote patients’ self-expression and well-being.
Specific programs have also been offered, notably at the Lyon Institute of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, combining media education with an introduction to opera, as well as one-off initiatives with other institutions (Croix-Rousse, Saint-Jean de Dieu).
These projects illustrate the Opéra de Lyon’s commitment to cultural inclusion and the connection between art and health.
Beyond the sea: projects that challenge our vision of oceans
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice highlighted the urgent need to evolve our relationship with the marine world. From advanced scientific expeditions to transformative artistic encounters, these projects expand the boundaries of how we perceive and safeguard the seas.
Polar Pod: assessing the evolution of oceans and providing scientific data worldwide
The Southern Ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate, absorbing up to half of the ocean’s CO₂ despite covering only about 30% of its surface. Yet much of this remote region remains understudied, limiting our understanding of climate trends and ocean health.
To close this gap, French explorer and scientist Jean-Louis Étienne—renowned for his 1986 North Pole solo expedition—founded Océan Polaire to improve research on the Southern Ocean. Among its most daring initiatives is Polar Pod, an oceanographic platform that operates like a satellite around Antarctica. Designed for extreme conditions, it features an impressive height of over 100 meters, of which over 80 meters are underwater, allowing it to anchor in deep water and enabling scientists to collect data and conduct research on a region that is usually inaccessible.
The insights the Polar Pod seeks to unveil range from analyzing ocean biodiversity to searching for microplastics, while continuing to educate and inspire youth in collaboration with schools and universities.
Major partnerships include the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, as well as the French National Space Agency and NASA.
While the project’s focus is to gather research, the organization is dedicated to ensuring that their insights can be used to improve ocean health by informing public opinion and informing decision makers on the consequences of climate change.
As explained by Elsa Peny-Etienne, General Director of the Polar Pod operations, “Our research provides essential data that informs environmental policies, such as the establishment of marine protected areas. By raising public awareness and understanding, we empower citizens to support and advocate for necessary policy changes. We are faster when we work together.”
CNRS Project: IPOS
The French National Center for Scientific Research is a global driver of scientific and environmental research. The CNRS Foundation, its philanthropic arm, supports initiatives dedicated to finding answers for pressing social, health, and environmental questions, with a dedicated focus on the oceans.
Through the Ocean Sustainability Foundation, hosted by Fondation CNRS and led by the marine biologist and CNRS Scientific Advisor Françoise Gaill, it supports efforts to protect marine and ocean environments through initiatives such as the International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS).
IPOS is a research initiative seeking to integrate scientific knowledge into effective ocean action by collecting insights and issuing recommendations to guide countries in pursuing their sustainable development goals.
Launched at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, IPOS has already undertaken pilot projects, including a global deep-sea mining consultation assessment, a sustainable cost-effective recycling analysis in the Seychelles, and work on small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica.
“IPOS supports knowledge-based decision making across scales to facilitate the achievement of national commitments towards global ocean targets, aligning with regional challenges and objectives,” highlights Tanya Brodie Rudolph, Co-Lead at IPOS. The project does strengthen the capacity of states to implement policies addressing the commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 14, “Life Below Water”.
Metis - Arts et Développement: Diapason, a program highlighting the links between the arts and oceans
Both public and private sector organisations are facing an ever-increasing number of complex social and environmental challenges. To address these, they are deploying essential technical tools; however, these alone are not sufficient to bring about lasting change.
These issues touch on social practices and cultural perceptions: they carry symbolic weight and require the adoption of new ways of doing things and acceptance of new spaces. The Metis Arts & Development Fund responded in a bold, unexpected way: by harnessing the power of art and emotions as levers for individual and collective transformation.
The Metis Art & Development Fund aims to advance sustainable development goals, guided by the belief that necessary change and social impact require shifting public perspectives and engaging audiences more deeply through the powerful emotions art inspires. The Metis Fund is hosted by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), France’s public development bank, which supports initiatives in vulnerable countries to combat inequalities while protecting shared global resources.
Through its projects, Metis funds and brings together artists, development professionals, and local communities to create impactful art projects in response to a development challenge affecting them. Their aim is to mobilize those living in at-risk geographical zones and raise awareness globally.
Metis is currently developing five new programs aimed at addressing key global challenges related to women’s economic empowerment, biodiversity protection, access to education, infrastructure, and healthcare.
Art Explora: a sailing museum
For many, cultural exhibitions remain out of reach, constrained by geography or timing. The Art Explora Festival reimagines this dynamic by bringing art to audiences where they are, on the world’s first museum boat. Let’s take you aboard this unique museum!
Art Explora is a charitable organization founded in 2019 by philanthropist and entrepreneur Frédéric Jousset. Its imaginative contemporary approach encourages new forms of access, participation, and engagement with arts and culture, pushing boundaries with digital technology and mobile programs. The 47-meter-long and 55-meter-high catamaran, with a capacity of welcoming up to 2000 visitors on board a day, was designed by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier. From spring 2024 to fall 2027, the museum boat will travel to more than 15 countries along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, connecting artists, curators, audiences and cultural organizations.
The Festival features exhibitions, immersive installations, performances, concerts, talks, and educational programming, developed in close collaboration with local cultural institutions and artists, all free of charge to the public, making the sea an important vector for expanding cultural access.
SOS Méditerranée: saving lives at sea
“Our vision is of a world where every person in distress at sea is rescued and treated with dignity.” SOS MEDITERRANEE is a humanitarian organization dedicated to rescuing and protecting people in distress at sea. Founded in 2015, it conducts civilian search-and-rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean, which remains one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, in compliance with international maritime law. During its first decade of operations, the organization assisted more than 43,000 people at sea, among whom one in four was a child.
Its mission is structured around three core principles: to save, to protect, and to bear witness. Its rescue vessel, the Ocean Viking, is fully equipped with an onboard medical clinic, protective shelters, and dedicated safe spaces for vulnerable survivors, including women and children. Once on board, survivors are provided with food, water, clothing, and medical care, and are informed of their rights. A rescue is considered complete once survivors are disembarked at a place of safety.
Bearing witness to the humanitarian situation in the Central Mediterranean is at the heart of the organization’s work. By documenting events at sea, SOS MEDITERRANEE raises awareness and promotes respect for maritime and humanitarian obligations. For a powerful depiction of the dangerous realities faced by people attempting the crossing, you can watch Io Capitano (Me Captain), the Oscar-nominated film directed by Matteo Garrone, co-written with survivors and available on several major streaming platforms in the U.S.
Harnessing technological transformations to better serve society
With the 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris, opened by Anne Bouverot, the co-founder of Fondation Abeona, France positioned itself at the forefront of the movement to integrate human values into the digital age. These five organizations exemplify the power of leveraging technology for the public good. Their initiatives range from the digital preservation of historic Franco-American landmarks to the strategic implementation of technical education as a tool for breaking cycles of poverty.
Abeona: developing AI with humanity’s best interests at its core
Recognizing the potential of artificial intelligence for transformative change, Fondation Abeona champions a responsible, human-centered approach to AI to guide informed and ethical choices about its use.
Co-founded in 2018 by Anne Bouverot and Tanya Perelmuter, the foundation brings together global leaders around initiatives promoting collaborative research, ethical AI development, and AI literacy.
Notably, Fondation Abeona supports the AI and Society Institute, a joint initiative with École Normale Supérieure-PSL and Université Paris Dauphine-PSL, created to further research on the societal and economic impacts of AI, encourage reflection on public policies and AI geopolitics, and develop training and awareness around best practices.
A major project from the Institute is the Observatory on the Environmental Impact of AI, launched in 2025. Among other subjects, the Observatory seeks to better measure AI’s energy consumption—an area that remains heavily under-researched—including energy, carbon, and water use, with the aim of identifying strategies to reduce its impact.
Comédie Française: providing live captions and translation to enjoy theater live
The Comédie-Française is the oldest active theater in the world, created in 1680 under Louis XIV to honor world-renowned playwright Molière. Its remarkable history continues to evolve, embracing new technology to expand access to its hearing-impaired and non-French-speaking audiences.
Since March 2024, the theater has offered “Smart Glasses” at the Salle Richelieu with the support of the Fondation pour la Comédie-Française, providing live subtitles for performances of its legendary repertoire.
Developed by a Franco-German startup, Panthéa, these glasses allow the spectator to project text in English, French, and sign language directly onto the lenses without obstructing the view of the stage. Subtitles can be personalized by color, size, and positioning in the field of vision.
By integrating this stunning innovation with centuries of theatrical tradition, La Comédie-Française demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity, allowing as many people as possible to experience the magic of French theater and help strengthen access to French culture.
Emmaus Connect: fighting for digital equality
While digital access has become essential for everyday life, many remain left out. In France, one in four people lack digital access and literacy. With over 90% of today’s jobs requiring digital skills, those excluded face growing barriers to opportunity—especially young people. Emmaüs Connect is dedicated to bridging the gap of digital inclusion while emphasizing sustainability and equity.
Emmaüs Connect is part of the Emmaüs Movement, working around the world to address social inequalities through community-based programs.
Guided by the mission of digital inclusion,
Emmaüs Connect works to close this gap across multiple fronts by providing affordable access to refurbished digital equipment, internet and service connection, and digital skills workshops
supporting social and professional development.
Powered by over 1,000 volunteers, Emmaüs Connect has supported over 200,000 people facing digital challenges across France, and is now expanding
internationally with a pilot project in Benin, where it works with local partners to support particularly vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and people living in rural, disconnected areas.
Passerelles Numériques: empowering youth with an innovative approach in key digital and soft employability skills
In today’s digital economy, technological training can be a life-changing tool for social and economic empowerment.
Founded in 2005, Passerelles Numériques unlocks the potential of disadvantaged youth by giving them access to education and enabling them to work in the digital sector.
Their innovative educational approach, which links key digital skills to professional skills, is what sets them apart. Present in Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Madagascar, PN has training centers adapted to each country to help students take the next step in their professional journey.
Over 21 years, 3,265 learners have graduated, 100% of whom secure employment—a quality job after graduation. Beyond gaining crucial skills, alumni actively support the growth of their home communities, typically reinvesting 30% of earnings to help siblings or children attend school and break the cycle of systemic poverty.
Passerelles Numériques expands pathways for a more equitable future, transforming not only individual lives but also strengthening their communities.
French Opera House: virtually recreating the old New Orleans staple
When a fire destroyed the New Orleans French Opera House in 1919, most thought this legendary landmark would never be seen again. As a former cultural centerpiece in America’s first “city of opera” and a hub of Creole culture, this loss was a significant blow not only for New Orleans, but for the artistic and musical identity of opera in the United States.
However, the story does not end here. The French Opera House Association has embarked on an ambitious project to digitally reconstruct the iconic space.
Led by project director Yohan Giaume and a team of internationally recognized experts from Louisiana and France, the initiative draws on over 12,000 documents to restore the visual and auditory essence of the French Opera House for immersive virtual reality experiences, educational enrichment, and research, alongside a musical project inspired by its cultural legacy.
This project carries deep significance for French-American friendship and artistic collaboration, showcasing how technological innovations can help us recover and transmit shared cultural heritage in new and exciting ways.
International solidarity at the core of cross border giving
International development goes further when grounded in authentic solidarity, a principle that necessitates collaborating with affected communities. The organizations featured here are bridge-builders, ensuring that support is responsive to local needs and realities, with solutions designed by those who experience them.
International solidarity at the core of cross-border giving: Fondation de France, an expert in emergency relief
On December 14, 2024, Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte, with devastating consequences on the island. Fondation de France, an expert in emergency response with experience leading major international campaigns from the 2010 Haiti earthquake to the 2022 war in Ukraine, mobilized again and raised €45 million.
Karine Meaux, Head of the Emergency Department, explains the unique approach of Fondation de France regarding emergency relief, based on proximity, flexibility, and sustainability.
How does Fondation de France approach international emergency response campaigns? How has it approached Mayotte specifically?
Our approach is guided by proximity, flexibility, and sustainability. Proximity: while funders usually tend to support national organizations—in Ukraine for example, less than 1% of funds go to local structures—we work with long-standing local organizations and rely on their knowledge on the ground. Whether in France or internationally, Fondation de France works with organizations that are deeply rooted in the affected communities to better understand their needs.
Flexibility: we foster trust-based relationships from the outset rather than implementing complex administrative requirements, which can limit support to large organizations with the capacity to meet them. Emergency contexts require adapting to local partners and streamlining processes. This approach enables us to ensure our support is always region-specific while limiting both costs and waste.
Finally, sustainability: we take a long-term approach to rebuilding with the populations concerned to ensure progress doesn’t stall in the face of the next major challenge.
In Mayotte, our initial priority was to meet basic needs, including shelter, access to food and water, and healthcare. The challenge now is to focus on this progress and reinforce coordination to sustainably strengthen the Mahoran nonprofit sector.
How does Fondation de France help coordinate local and international actors? What has been the experience in Mayotte?
Our hyper-local coordination approach can involve both public authorities and up to hundreds of organizations, whose scope can be as specific as a single neighborhood. This requires an incredibly detailed level of coordination that not many international organizations are able to take on, but we do.
Despite complex local and geopolitical challenges, coordination in Mayotte has been exceptional. Fondation de France has already supported 238 initiatives, traveling to the archipelago eight times in the past year to monitor and coordinate with these organizations to ensure effective and sustainable progress.
Mehad: delivering medical care to conflict zones
In conflict zones where healthcare access can be challenging, Mehad works with local health partners to deliver life-saving care and rebuild shattered infrastructures, allowing them to operate in areas where many organizations cannot.
Founded in 2011 during the Syrian civil war by a group of physicians, Mehad brought their expertise to Ukraine after the 2022 invasion, establishing rehabilitation centers with local healthcare professionals for wounded veterans and offering training in advanced wartime medicine, including chemical weapon protection.
Since the war’s start, Mehad has successfully trained over 5,000 healthcare workers and delivered over 20,000 rehabilitation sessions, assuring that even amidst the devastation of war, those in conflict zones can seek care and be treated, whether in veteran rehabilitation centers or through training programs.
La Liane: breaking the cycle of poverty and vulnerability
In Senegal, La Liane mobilizes international support to protect vulnerable children and mothers, breaking cycles of poverty one family at a time.
La Liane was founded by Claude Hallegot, a French educator moved by the extreme poverty she encountered in Senegal, where she also witnessed the challenges raised by teenage pregnancies and the high number of orphaned and vulnerable children. After creating a solidarity association in France in 1996, she settled in Saint-Louis to establish centers with local partners in 2006.
La Liane has launched three programs in collaboration with local partners, including the justice system, local police, and healthcare providers.
La Maison des Droits de l’Enfant focuses on children’s rights, running a shelter for over 50 children that provides long-term healthcare and education. La Maison des Droits des Femmes focuses on women’s rights, supporting pregnant women, mothers, and survivors of violence, helping 700 families per year. L’Atelier des Femmes promotes economic independence through traditional craftsmanship workshops.
These projects, run at a very local scale, bring catalytic change to the lives of children and women in the region.
Med’equaliTeam: promoting access to primary healthcare for the most vulnerable populations
In regions facing humanitarian challenges, displaced and vulnerable populations encounter significant obstacles to basic healthcare. These barriers include distance, cost, or language barriers, leaving those most in need with the least access.
Founded in 2018, Med’EqualiTeam brings healthcare directly to displaced individuals and refugees. In 2023, it launched its initiatives in Northern Greece, a main point of entry in Europe. With local medical infrastructure already stretched, the country has struggled to meet new medical needs of arrivals. For the last two years, Med’EqualiTeam and its volunteers have operated free mobile clinics in partnership with community centers to serve asylum seekers, refugees, and other at-risk populations throughout the region.
In 2025, Med’EqualiTeam supported 3,422 patients in Greece, while interpreters ensured effective communication. Alongside care, the teams provided health education sessions to equip individuals with practical knowledge, strengthening autonomy and prevention.
Drawing on experiences across multiple humanitarian contexts, Med’EqualiTeam continues to adapt its model to evolving needs and plans to expand mobile clinics and education programs.
Transmission: stewarding legacy, building the future
At the heart of the French tradition of transmission is the understanding that we are both heirs to the past and architects of what is to come. By safeguarding legacy through a forward-looking approach, these organizations transform heritage into a relevant, active force to meet the needs of the next generation.
Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français: preserving our monuments
When you imagine France, you envision quaint villages, historic churches, castles, and stunning landscapes. These sites, built across centuries, remain today as enduring witnesses to the nation’s rich history. However, preserving this heritage and keeping the buildings standing becomes increasingly difficult as time passes.
The threat of losing such treasures inspired the 1921 creation of Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, an organization dedicated to preventing the destruction or sale abroad of France’s architectural and movable heritage. It played a key role in enacting laws to protect national treasures.
Today, the Fondation supports the restoration of over 100 French buildings annually, focusing on unlisted rural churches and chapels built before 1800. Another focus is artworks.
Since launching a 2013 campaign to protect local art, “Le Plus Grand Musée de France”, over 300,000 participants have helped restore 385 works, raising €2.7 million and reconnecting villages with their cultural legacy.
Finally, the Fondation encourages civic involvement, promotes public knowledge, and fosters art history research. As President Olivier de Rohan Chabot states, “We should be proud and happy to appreciate beauty. What we love, we want to preserve to pass it on. That is the essence of the Sauvegarde de l’Art Français. The ambition is undeniable, but we must constantly find new ways to achieve it.”
Examples of new approaches include the JG Foundation, under the aegis of La Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, which aims to preserve and promote neglected heritage across Gordes, the Vaucluse, and the PACA region. It facilitates public access to dispersed artworks, supports educational research, and funds the restoration and rehabilitation of the region’s diverse cultural treasures.
Grand Palais – Exhibition on Claire Tabouret: introducing modernity in Notre Dame
After the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in 2019, the conflict between maintaining historical tradition and introducing contemporary expression could not have been more evident when Claire Tabouret’s designs for new stained-glass windows were chosen in a competition launched by President Macron. “When you live in a country that’s filled with history, you have to have a dialogue that doesn’t freeze everything in time, to preserve and maintain your history, but allow space for new voices and for new movement and for life,” shared the artist.
The Grand Palais, founded 130 years ago, embraces this dichotomy. Built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, this iconic space has continually evolved as an exhibition space, showcasing important contemporary events—from the first aviation and automobile shows to the 2017 Tour de France and the 2024 Summer Olympics. In December 2025, it hosted an exhibit of Tabouret’s life-sized designs for the new windows, shining a light into the start of a new era for the future of Notre Dame.
Ahead of installation of Tabouret’s new window designs at the end of 2026, support from American donors for this Grand Palais exhibition once again underscored their commitment to shaping the next chapter of Notre Dame.
Manufactures Nationales Sèvres – Mobilier National: promoting centuries of French savoir-faire
For over four centuries, French craftsmanship has helped define global standards of excellence in decorative arts, producing exceptional ceramics, tapestries, carpets, furniture, and more. While these creations continue to be showcased in major museums and institutions around the world, the French crafts sector is far from a fixture of the past, with over 250,000 crafts businesses active in the country.
To preserve and protect this legacy, Manufactures Nationales— the organization born from the merger of Mobilier national and the Cité de la Céramique – Sèvres & Limoges—promotes the excellence of French craftsmanship.
Beyond simply preserving, Manufactures Nationales actively revitalizes the craft ecosystem by training new artisans on rare skills adapted to today’s creative landscape, fostering bold design innovation while collaborating with contemporary artists to showcase French savoir-faire globally.
Through more than 53 artistic crafts practiced within its manufactures and workshops, ranging from the Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory to the lace workshops of Alençon and Le Puy-en-Velay, Manufactures Nationales ensures the transmission of this tangible and intangible heritage while inspiring new generations of artisans.
Fondation pour l’Opéra-Comique - Transmitting artistic legacy, shaping new artists
For more than 300 years, the Opéra-Comique has embodied French musical innovation. As the birthplace of the opéra-comique genre, where spoken dialogue alternates with song, it has premiered over 3,000 productions including iconic masterpieces such as Bizet’s Carmen, Massenet’s Manon and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Its legacy is twofold: preserving a rich artistic heritage while nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists, including many from the United States.
Fondation pour l’Opéra-Comique supports several programs dedicated to passing down this rich musical heritage to the next generation. Through the Académie de l’Opéra-Comique, young professional singers, conductors, and vocal coaches benefit from high level mentorship, coaching, and performance opportunities to help launch their professional careers. The Foundation also supports “La Maîtrise Populaire”, an academic and performing arts school for young people aged 8-25, offering training in music, theater, and dance along with regular opportunities to perform on the stage of the Opéra-Comique. Notably, more than half of the students come from underserved neighborhoods in the Paris region.
Under the leadership of its General Manager Louis Langrée, whose transatlantic career exemplifies French-American collaboration, the Opéra-Comique promotes cross-cultural dialogue and artistic growth. Through a partnership with Villa Albertine and the Juilliard School of Music, young professional artists have the opportunity to take part in masterclasses, coaching sessions, and performance opportunities in both Paris and New York.
Thanks to the growing support of the American Friends of the Opéra-Comique, this vibrant institution continues to honor its musical heritage while shaping the future of artists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Festival Ravel: Building on the legacy of Maurice Ravel
In 2025, the Ravel Festival celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maurice Ravel, one of the most celebrated French composers, featuring his works through a repertoire spanning symphonic music, piano, chamber, and vocal compositions.
Under the direction of world-renowned pianist Bertrand Chamayou, the Ravel Festival,
held annually in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, is a major cultural event featuring extraordinary French
and international artists and orchestras.
Its concurrent Ravel Academy provides 50 emerging artists with the opportunity to learn from exceptional music instructors and to perform throughout
Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Together, the Festival and Academy celebrate the rich musical heritage of the Basque region, Ravel’s ancestral home, sharing his legacy of artistic innovation and creativity for the next generation of musicians.
Board of Directors
Our Team
FRÉDÉRIC THÉRET
SUZANNE SISKEL
VICTORIA BJORKLUND
Secretary
FRANCIS CHARHON
AXELLE DAVEZAC
President
CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
MILES HANKIN
Treasurer
BARBORA TVRDIK
Communications and Development Associate
DOMITILLE MARCHAL LEMOINE
Executive Director