Getty Foundation facts for kids

The Getty Foundation is a group based in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the larger J. Paul Getty Trust. The Foundation gives out money, called grants, to help people understand and protect visual arts. This includes things like paintings, sculptures, and other artworks. They also used to help train museum leaders through the Getty Leadership Institute, which is now at Claremont Graduate University.

History of the Getty Foundation

The Foundation started in 1984. It was first called the "Getty Grant Program." Deborah Marrow was its first director and led it for many years. By 1990, the program had given out $20 million in grants. This money went to art historians, people who restore art, and art museums in 18 different countries.

In 1993, the Foundation started a special program. It was called the Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program. This program helps more students from diverse backgrounds get jobs in art organizations in Los Angeles.

The Foundation has supported many important projects. In 1998, it gave $750,000 to art museums in Los Angeles. This money helped them create digital lists of their art. In 1999, they gave $180,000 to the National Gallery in Prague. This helped the gallery put pictures of its art online. In 2005, the Foundation gave almost $400,000 to the University of California, Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This money helped save and document Latino and Latin American art.

The name of the Getty Grant Program officially changed to the "Getty Foundation" in 2005.

Between 2002 and 2007, the Foundation spent over $13.5 million. This money helped 86 colleges and universities in the United States. It helped them care for and save their historic buildings and resources. In 2006, the Foundation promised $3.5 million to restore a large mural. This mural, called "America Tropical," was painted by David Alfaro Siqueiros on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. After Hurricane Katrina, the Foundation also gave $2 million to help art groups in New Orleans.

A big project for the Getty in 2011–2012 was Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945–1980. This was a huge team effort. More than sixty art groups in Southern California worked together for six months. They told the story of how the art scene in Los Angeles began.

In 2018, the Getty Foundation started a new program called Conserving Canvas. This program focuses on how to protect and restore paintings on canvas.

In May 2022, it was announced that the Ann and Gordon Getty Collection would be sold. The money from this sale, estimated at $180 million, will go to the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation for the Arts.

Grants and Support

The Getty Foundation gives out grants to support art and culture.

How Grants Are Funded

The J. Paul Getty Trust can use a small part of its money for gifts and grants. From July 2006 to June 2007, the Foundation had a budget of $27.8 million. It had about 30 full-time and part-time workers.

As of June 2008, the Foundation has four main goals for its grants:

• Making art history stronger around the world.
• Helping different types of art conservation work together.
• Making it easier for people to see museum and archive collections.
• Helping train new and future leaders in art and museums.

Helping Publish Books

The Foundation has also given grants to help publish books. These grants can help pay for more pictures in a book. They can also help make a book's price lower so more people can buy it. Some books have been published with help from the Getty Grant Program.

Supporting Diversity in Art

The Foundation gives grants for the Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program. This program started in 1993. It aims to help more people from diverse backgrounds work in visual arts groups in Los Angeles County.

In the summer of 2011, the Foundation funded these internships at 70 museums and art groups in the Los Angeles area. The internships help students from groups that have not always been well-represented in museums. These include students of African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander backgrounds.

In 2016, the Foundation gave an $8.5 million grant. This money helped bring more Latino and Latin American-themed art shows to Southern California.

Keeping It Modern Grant

On September 16, 2014, the Getty Foundation started a new grant called Keeping It Modern. This grant helps save modern buildings around the world. The Centennial Hall in Poland was one of the first buildings to get this grant. It received $200,000.

In 2018, the grant helped many famous buildings. These included The National Art Schools in Cuba and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Other buildings helped were the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla.

In 2019, the grant helped even more places. These included the Buzludzha Monument in Bulgaria and the North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana. It also helped the Uganda National Museum in Kampala, Uganda, and the Beira Railway Station in Mozambique.

Art History Fellowships

Every year, the Getty Foundation gives out Art History international fellowships. These are like scholarships for studying art history. They offer $60,000 plus $5,000 for research and travel. These fellowships are given in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies.

Getty Leadership Institute

The Foundation also supports the Getty Leadership Institute (GLI). The main program of the GLI is the Museum Leadership Institute (MLI). This program has helped almost 1,000 museum professionals. These are people who work in museums from the United States and 30 other countries. It offers a three-week course for museum directors and senior team members. They learn about things like strategy, marketing, management, and money. Many of the people who attend work in art museums. Directors from famous museums like the Frick Collection and the Van Gogh Museum have attended.

Besides the MLI, the GLI offers other programs to help professionals grow. It also holds meetings for non-profit groups and has an online discussion forum. The GLI started in 1979 in New York City. Classes were first taught at the University of California Berkeley. From 1999 to 2009, the program was based at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. In 2004, classes also moved to the Getty Center.

In 2010, the GLI joined with Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. It was then renamed The Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University. The Foundation supports the GLI with a grant. The 2010 MLI was held at the Getty Center, but the 2011 MLI moved to the Claremont campus.

Other Foundations with Similar Names

• The "Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation" is in San Francisco, California. It gives grants to support music, opera, and symphonies.
• The Getty Research Institute is in Los Angeles, California. It works to increase knowledge and understanding of visual arts.
• The Getty Conservation Institute is also in Los Angeles, California. It focuses on improving how art is preserved.
• The J. Paul Getty Trust is the main fund that oversees all Getty-branded programs and institutions.