“Napoléon2026” Appeal: making the Napoleonic period better known to young audiences, first projects

Students from the Institut Catholique d’Etudes Supérieurs (ICES) and Thierry Lentz, (General Director of the Fondation Napoléon) attending the conference on the Memorial of St Helena, on 15 November 2023.

The appeal that the Fondation Napoléon launched in November 2022 (link in French) generated great interest. As of 29 February 2023, 512 donations were registered for a total of 166 250 €.

 These funds have already provided tangible support for young people learning about the Napoleonic period.

First projects supported in 2023 :

In accordance with our commitments with the Napoléon2026 appeal, we have provided assistance with the financing of community projects, aimed at encouraging and developing projects intended for young people aged from 10 to 30 throughout France. To date, 7 projects have been supported for a total amount of €7,100:

• The Saint-Louis private Catholic college (Ardennes), for its project “The Ardennes during the two Napoleonic Empires”, aimed at making the local and national history better known.
  Target audience: 40 14-year-old students.
• The Collège Honoré d’Urfé (Loire), for its project “The collection of Maréchal Oudinot of Reggio, echoing the Napoleonic conquests in Saint-Etienne”, intended to make Marshal Oudinot’s collection, held at the Museum of Saint-Etienne better known, and to explain it within the context of the history of the period.
  Target audience: a class of middle school students.

• The Collège Jean Moulin (Pas-de-Calais), for its project “Paris, cœur de la Défense”, a workshop aimed at creating understanding and awareness of the role of citizens in the history of France.
  Target audience: 13- and 14-year-old middle school students.

• Le Collège Saint-Pierre (Aube), for its project “Troyes and Napoleon”, consisting of the creation of a tourist trail; discovering the administrative footprint left by Napoleon in the city of Troyes.
  Target audience: a class of middle school students.
• The National Institute of Art History (INHA, Paris, 2^nd Arrondissement), for an international conference: “The many professional worlds of architectural ornament: protagonists and practices from the 18^th century to the present day”, organised by two former Fondation Napoléon scholarship holders.
  Target audience: young students and the general public.
• The Saint-Thomas d’Aquin primary and nursery school (Rhône), for its project “Meeting Napoleon”, a set of activities related to the Museum of the French Revolution in Vizille and the character of the Emperor.
  Target audience: a class of 10-year-olds.

• The Recordatio éveilleurs d’histoires Association (Maine-et-Loire), a troupe of young actors, for its immersive theatre project at the Château du Hallay during the 2023 Heritage Days, centred on the Napoleonic wars and those who fell on the battlefields.
  Target audience: General.

Do you have an idea for a Napoleonic project aimed at young people in France? Download the funding application form here.

Other Napoléon2026 projects

• 5 Masters scholarships totalling €15,000
• 1st phase of cleaning the grave of Antoine-François Fourcroy, French chemist, professor and politician, in partnership with the City of Paris
• Participation of 70 young people at the conference “Autour du Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène” (15 and 16 November 2023 at the Institut de France), at a cost of €1,500.

published 14 September 2023, updated 5 March 2024.