The Alliance Française Network

The Fondation Alliance Française coordinates an international network of 819 Alliances set up in 137 countries. This network reaches over 550,000 people all over the globe.

For over a century, the Alliance Française has been overseeing an ambitious project: to spread French language and culture well beyond the borders of France.

The Alliance Française was founded in 1883 in Paris as “Association nationale pour la propagation de la langue française dans les colonies et à l’étranger” (National association for the propagation of the French language in French territories and abroad) under the aegis of Pierre Foncin and Ambassador Paul Cambon. The Paris Alliance was created the following year by a board of directors featuring illustrious names like Jules Verne (author), Louis Pasteur (chemist and biologist), and Ferdinand de Lesseps (diplomat). The first Alliance Française abroad was created the same year in Barcelona, Spain.

Faithful to the values of its founders, the Alliance Française remains committed to the formula of an association.

Each Alliance is part of this worldwide network but has forged strong bonds with its local cultural, educational and business communities.

The network of Alliances Françaises in Australia

These six capital Alliances are managed by French expatriates seconded from the Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Etrangères (French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs).

There are also 24 regional Alliances administered by committees made up of volunteers. The majority of them are located along the eastern and southern coasts, with the exception of AF Darwin in the Northern Territory.