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The Getty Foundation is the grantmaking arm of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles. It awards project grants to organizations that support art historical scholarship, conserve art and architecture, increase access to museum collections and archives, and train visual arts professionals. Most of its money moves through invited or open-call initiatives, not through an always-open application form, and that is the single fact that changes how you approach it. Everything below is as described on the official page on 2026-10-29; programs and deadlines change, so confirm against the source before you plan around them.
Two name collisions are worth settling first. The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation is a different funder and is not covered here. And “Getty fund” or “Getty grants” searches often mean the individual residential grants and fellowships that Getty offers to scholars through its other programs, which are separate from the Foundation’s initiative grants (both are explained below).
What the Getty Foundation is and who runs it
The Foundation states that it partners with people and organizations in Los Angeles and around the world by awarding grants in four core areas: art history, conservation, museum and archival collections, and professional development. Its own figures since 1984 are 9.9K grants made, 580 million dollars awarded and 180 countries benefited (as described on the official page on 2026-10-29). It sits alongside, and is separate from, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Research Institute, which run their own programs. The Foundation’s address on its page is 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles.
Foundation grants versus Getty residential grants
Searchers tend to merge two quite different routes into Getty money.
- Getty Foundation grants go to organizations for projects, mostly through strategic initiatives built with the fields they serve. An initiative may solicit invitations to apply or may run an open call.
- Residential grants and fellowships support individual scholars doing research on the history of art, archaeology and conservation of cultural heritage. These have their own application pages and deadlines, described in the eligibility section below.
The Foundation also administers residential fellowships on behalf of other Getty programs and several levels of paid internship grants.
Eligibility
Foundation initiative grants
The Foundation says grants are project-based and that it rarely considers applications solely for general operating support, although it will support institutional overhead as part of project grants. It also says it typically does not consider general inquiries. Eligibility is therefore set by each initiative: who may apply is defined by the invitation or open call for that initiative.
Residential grants (individual scholars)
From the official residential grants FAQ (as described on the official page on 2026-10-29):
- Open to scholars of any nationality or place of residence; visa support is offered for accepted offers.
- Grants are residential: there are no remote fellowships, and fellows must be in residence. Housing is provided through Scholar Housing, and families are welcome.
- You may apply for several grants in the same term, but two Getty grants cannot be held at the same time. Previous recipients may reapply after a waiting period of six years.
- Current Getty staff and their immediate family are not eligible for Scholar Grants or Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships.
- Established researchers (a PhD at least five years ago and/or a strong publication record) are directed to the Getty Scholars Program, the Scholars Program at the Villa and Conservation Guest Scholars. Early-career applicants are directed to the Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships, Villa Postdoctoral and the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Conservation Science.
- Predoctoral applicants are expected to finish the dissertation during the fellowship. PhD candidates who will not hold the degree by the deadline apply as predoctoral, and their status changes to postdoctoral on proof of degree.
What it funds or requires
The Foundation’s funding areas are organized as initiatives, each with a stated period. The table in the related programs section lists them with the years shown on the official page. Across them, the Foundation describes support for scholarship, conservation of art and architecture, access to collections and archives, and training of visual arts professionals. For individual residential grants, applicants provide two English-language letters of reference for the pre- and postdoctoral fellowships; Scholars and Conservation Guest Scholars do not need letters. Interfolio is accepted. Getty does not publish sample successful proposals and points applicants to its grants database instead. Reviewers at Getty and outside it assess applications against stated criteria for each category.
Application steps
- Decide which route fits. An organization with a project looks at Foundation initiatives. An individual scholar looks at residential grants.
- For initiatives, follow the call. The Foundation says initiatives may solicit invitations to apply or offer open calls, and that its newsletter and social channels announce open calls. It lists a general information address, [email protected], on its page.
- For residential grants, read the category page. Each category has its own requirements and deadline. An annual theme is announced in spring and application materials become available in summer.
- Gather references and project materials early, since two letters of reference are needed for pre- and postdoctoral fellowships.
Typical timeline phases
Dates move from year to year, so treat these as phases rather than a calendar. For residential grants: the annual theme is announced in spring; materials open in summer; most applications are due in the fall, between early October and mid-November according to the FAQ; review follows, and accepted scholars then arrange visas and housing. For initiatives, the phase that matters is the announcement of an invitation or open call, which has no fixed season on the official page.
One scheduling note from the same FAQ: with the planned 2027-2028 temporary closure of the Getty Center, the Getty Research Institute will not offer pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, African American Art History Initiative fellowships, the Consortium Seminar or virtual fellowships for that period, while the Villa and the Getty Conservation Institute still accept residential applications for 2027-2028. The Getty Scholars Program resumes after the Center reopens in 2028.
Common mistakes
- Sending a general funding inquiry. The Foundation says it typically does not consider them. Wait for the relevant initiative call.
- Proposing general operating support. Grants are project-based; overhead is supported as part of a project grant.
- Applying remotely. Residential grants require residence; there are no remote fellowships.
- Choosing the wrong status. A PhD candidate without the degree by the deadline applies as predoctoral.
- Reapplying too soon. Previous recipients wait six years.
- Confusing funders. The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation is a separate organization.
Related programs
Initiatives listed on the Foundation’s Funding Areas page, with the years shown there (as described on the official page on 2026-10-29):
| Funding area | Initiative | Years listed |
|---|---|---|
| Art history | Connecting Art Histories | 2009 to present |
| Art history | Digital Art History | 2013-2023 |
| Art history | Getty/ACLS Postdoctoral Fellowships | 2017-2024 |
| Conservation | Conserving Canvas | 2018 to present |
| Conservation | Conserving Black Modernism | 2022 to present |
| Conservation | Keeping It Modern | 2014 to present |
| Conservation | MOSAIKON | 2008-2023 |
| Conservation | Panel Paintings Initiative | 2008-2018 |
| Museums and archival collections | PST ART 2030 | 2026 to present |
| Museums and archival collections | Black Visual Arts Archives | 2022 to present |
| Museums and archival collections | The Paper Project | 2018-2026 |
| Professional development | Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internships | 1993 to present |
| Professional development | Getty Marrow Emerging Professionals | 2022 to present |
| Professional development | Getty Post-Baccalaureate Conservation Fellowships | 2020 to present |
| Professional development | Graduate Internships | 1984 to present |
| Professional development | Building Networks | 1993 to present |
For comparison with other private funders in the arts and humanities, see CASRAI’s guide to Andrew W. Mellon Foundation humanities funding, the overview of foundation grants for early-career investigators and the guide to Doris Duke Foundation programs. Background on the field Getty’s art history grants serve is in what art history is, and the term competitive grant explains the award model that open calls follow.
FAQ
Is the Getty fund the same as the Getty Foundation?
Not necessarily. “Getty Foundation” is the grantmaking arm of the J. Paul Getty Trust, and it funds organizations’ projects. Individual scholars usually mean the residential grants and fellowships Getty offers through its research and conservation programs. The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation is an unrelated funder.
Can I apply to the Getty Foundation for general operating support?
The Foundation says it rarely considers applications solely for general operating support, and that it supports institutional overhead as part of project grants.
Is there an open application year-round?
The Foundation says it typically does not consider general inquiries, and that its initiatives may solicit invitations to apply or offer open calls. Residential grants have annual deadlines, most falling between early October and mid-November.
Can people outside the United States apply for Getty residential grants?
Yes. The residential grants FAQ says they are open to scholars of any nationality or place of residence, with visa support for accepted offers.
Sources
- Getty Foundation, getty.edu/foundation, checked 2026-10-29.
- Getty Foundation, Funding Areas and initiatives, getty.edu/foundation/initiatives, checked 2026-10-29.
- Getty, Residential Grants FAQs, getty.edu/funding/residential-grants/faqs, checked 2026-10-29.
