Fondation Banque Populaire — Music Fellowship

A bursary for young classical and baroque musicians in the awkward stretch just after conservatoire, when the training is done and the income is not there yet. The money buys time: continued study with senior musicians, new musical experiments, entering significant auditions, recording a first disc, or simply playing concerts. Laureates also perform at foundation events, including its Musicales de Bagatelle festival.

The eligibility rules are narrow. Instrumentalists must be under 27, chamber ensembles from duo to quartet under 28, composers under 40. Organists, conductors and singers are excluded outright. You need a second-cycle higher diploma from the CNSMD in Paris or Lyon, an Artist Diploma from the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, or a European equivalent the jury is willing to accept, and you must live mainly in France while receiving support. Musicians already holding an orchestral post or salaried by an organisation cannot be selected, and the foundation does not fund study abroad or the purchase of instruments. You also get one attempt: refused candidates may not reapply.

Support runs for one, two or three years. The foundation does not publish the sum, so treat the amount as unknown until you ask. It funds individuals only, never associations.

Applications are filed on the foundation's online platform between 29 June and 4 October 2026; incomplete files are not assessed. A pre-jury sifts, then a twelve-member jury of working musicians hears candidates live, with auditions set for 5 November 2026. The written file is expected to explain a motivation beyond career — what you intend to do for your art. Everything is in French.