Some of the milestones in a young person’s life can be both costly and transformational for the rest of their journey. Funding a training program, a driver’s license for improved mobility, moving into a new home or perhaps leading a personal project in the nonprofit sector... all of these things can happen with a “helping hand” from Fondation de France in the form of grants– when it matters most.

Grants for young people without family support

Close to 15% of young adults aged 18 to 25 live beneath the poverty line. Continuing a study course, following a vocational training program, moving into new accommodation, buying IT equipment... what can be done if a family isn’t able to provide all the support needed? For many young people, the pandemic came on top of a social crisis which is particularly affecting those under the age of 25, especially students who may have lost casual work and become isolated. In fact, eight out ten students stated that lockdown had interrupted their studies. Fondation de France is committed to helping these young people. It allocates grants, in addition to government aid, to young adults from 18 to 25 years old, on a means-tested basis. In 2020, more than 340 young people were supported in this way. This “helping hand” is organized in partnership with social services and university welfare teams.

Déclics Jeunes: helping young people fulfil their ambitions

Finding purpose and then translating it into a practical project for the common good is the dream of many young people. But many obstacles stand in the way of dreams. Which is why, every year, the Déclics Jeunes competition supports around 20 projects led by 18-30 year olds. Since it was created in 1975, the Déclics Jeunes competition has encouraged 1,000 young people to spread their wings in a wide range of fields, including art, science, technology, social work, humanitarian aid and the environment.

The Déclics Jeunes competition was created thanks to Léon Salavin and Jeanne Fournier’s generous donation of their art collection and supports innovative and charitable projects. In a more general way, it encourages a spirit of enterprise and initiative in young people, to help them find their way in society. Other sponsors have since joined the work of the Salavin-Fournier couple, to help even more young people turn their dreams into reality.

Several donor-advised funds such as the Fondation Odon Vallet offer study grants, providing support to more than 70,000 students in France, Vietnam and Benin! Other founders support their alma mater directly, to promote university research of the highest level.