The Fondation Napoléon (English: Napoleon Foundation) is a registered French non-profit organization established on 12 November 1987. It supports academic research and public understanding of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire.
The foundationâÂÂs scope also encompasses the periods of the French Directory and the Consulate, during which Napoleon Bonaparte served as First Consul after the Coup of 18 Brumaire.
The foundation is headed by Victor-André Masséna, Prince of Essling, and its director since 2000 has been historian Thierry Lentz.
In 2002, the foundation launched the project to publish Napoleon's complete correspondence, which includes over 41,000 letters. It also contributes to the preservation of historical sites. The foundation runs a bilingual website and maintains a digital library, with over 13,000 historical volumes accessible to the public. It also publishes Napoleonica, an international journal on Napoleonic history.
The Fondation Napoléon supports research on the history of the First French Empire and Second French Empire by awarding six research grants per year to French and international PhD candidates. It also awards an annual history prize for works related to the two French empires. In addition, the foundation supports academic conferences, bicentennial and sesquicentennial commemorations, and the publication of Napoleonic books and exhibition catalogues.
Between 2010 and 2014, the foundation co-funded a restoration campaign for Longwood House, NapoleonâÂÂs exile residence on Saint Helena, raising approximately â¬1.4 million through an international appeal. The campaign received matching support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In September 2020, the foundation opposed a proposal by RouenâÂÂs mayor to replace NapoleonâÂÂs statue with a memorial to feminist Gisèle Halimi. The statue was later registered as a monument historique in December 2021.
The foundation maintains an art and historical memorabilia collection of around 1,400 items. These items have been exhibited in Paris, São Paulo, Monterrey, and Minden, among other locations.
President: Victor-André Masséna, Prince dâÂÂEssling (since 13 December 2005).
Vice President: Count Nicolas Walewski.