History
Founded in Paris in 1883, the Alliance Française promotes French language and culture. Worldwide there are over 1,135 chapters in 138 countries, with 130 chapters in the United States. The Alliance Française is the largest cultural network in the world. Each Alliance Française is governed locally and is operated as an independent, non-profit, non-political, non-discriminatory organization.
For a century, AFMSP has been promoting French language and French-speaking cultures with classes, events and resources and today we are the 6th largest Alliance in the United States.
AFMSP Yesterday
The Alliance Française began in Minnesota in the 1920s with a small group interested in the language and culture of France, led by University of Minnesota Professor Jacques Fermand. By the 1950s, our local chapter had around 100 members. On October 29, 1975, the chapter was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of Minnesota. In 2025 we celebrated 50 years as a non-profit in Minnesota!
AFMSP Today
Today, AFMSP has more than 1,200 members and over 900 students annually.
Every month, we host many cultural events film groups, musical events, concerts, lectures, conferences, clubs for high schoolers, social groups for young adults, book clubs for varying levels of French, and monthly breakfast conversations for the community. Not to mention our yearly Bastille Day celebration, a month-long Mois de la Francophonie celebration each March, and more events throughout the year celebrating international cultures featuring local and international authors, scholars and artists.
In addition to the classes taught at our building, our programs in schools across Minneapolis, St Paul and beyond, inspire hundreds of children and young adults to become Francophiles and life-long French speakers.
Venez nous rendre visite !
We pay homage to the Dakota People, whose land on which we gather to allow us to share the cultural diversity of the francophonie, who were unfairly ceded in the Treaties of 1805, 1837 & 1851. With respect to the past, present, and future, we honor the Indigenous Peoples including the Ojibwe who have cared and continue to care for this land, their connections to it and the vibrancy of their cultures. Thank you for joining AFMSP in welcoming people of all backgrounds and traditions.