The Foundation makes grants nationally for research, policy analysis, advocacy, and leadership development. The sponsor awards grants to U.S. and French institutions to promote Franco-American amity, primarily in the arts. Types of activities supported include endowment, general support, research, and conferences and seminars. The sponsor supports museums, universities, and other public institutions by assisting in the creation or expansion of photography departments. The emphasis is on permanence, e.g., the acquisition of photographs or support for study and exhibition facilities.
Support is also available for important exhibitions.
The sponsor supports programs that strengthen political, economic, and cultural institutions that reflect the democratic processes by encouraging the thoughtful study of the connections between economic and political freedoms, and the cultural heritage that sustains them. Support is provided for research, conferences, fellowships, and other activities related to agricultural sciences in the developing world. Within the academic community, the sponsor supports policy-relevant security studies research and underwrites historical research with clear implications or lessons for current policy. It supports researchers from a wide range of disciplines and fields. The sponsor makes grants in the areas of education, civic and community initiatives, culture and the arts, health and human services, and through industry grants focusing on environmental issues.