HBCU Photo Archive Grant

Winners Announced

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been the foundation for academic and cultural development in the United States for well over a century.

In partnership with the Getty Family and Stand Together, the Getty Images Photo Archive Grant for HBCUs has committed $500,000 to digitize HBCUs’ photographic archives. This grant series increases access to unique imagery and brings awareness to untold stories.
The HBCUs retain full copyright ownership of their content, and the digitization process takes place on campus working with staff, administration and students.

100% of the revenue generated from licensing HBCU's content on www.gettyimages.com impacts the HBCU Community:

50% of the royalties are issued to the HBCU represented.
30% of the royalties are donated toward scholarships through our partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).
The remaining 20% is reinvested into the Grant to support additional HBCU's photographic archives.

The four inaugural Grant recipients were announced in 2022:

Claflin University – Orangeburg, South Carolina (USA)
North Carolina Central University – Durham, North Carolina (USA)
Jackson State University – Jackson, Mississippi (USA)
Prairie View A&M University – Prairie View, Texas (USA)

Additional HBCUs have joined the Grants Program. Getty Images represents their archival photography as well as, contemporary content produced on campus today:

Southern University and A&M College – Baton Rouge, Louisiana (USA)
Lincoln University ‑ Lincoln, Pennsylvania (USA)
Delaware State University ‑ Dover, Delaware (USA)
Stillman College ‑ Tuscaloosa, Alabama (USA)
Bennett College ‑ Greensboro, North Carolina (USA)
Florida A&M University ‑ Tallahassee, Florida (USA)

For more information about the Grants Program, content representation, and the HBCU Collection, visit here.

The Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs are part of Getty Images’ commitment to anti‑racism, inclusion, and dismantling discrimination. This includes bringing to market rarely‑seen historical content and creating revenue streams for organizations working to build a more inclusive society. It is part of the Company’s wider grants program, which, since its inception, has donated over US$1.8 million to photographers and videographers around the world.

To apply for the Grant, please email us at HBCUgrant@gettyimages.com.

"Photographic collections housed in HBCU’s from the 20th Century focus on the notion of photography as biography and helped shape the fabric of African American identities. These collections explore the cultural values, educational and religious traditions, as well as perceptions of black communities through to the 21st Century. Collective and individual memories are the foundation of these photographs highlighting the classrooms, student activities on campus, scientific explorations, art practices, and the making of portraits from college presidents to teachers and visitors to the campuses. The Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs is an essential part of the on‑going documentation and preservation of Black images at HBCUs."

Dr. Deborah Willis, Academic Director, Professor & Chair at NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Inaugural Grant Recipients Announced

Grants Application Rules & Requirements:

Apply by email:

Biography about the HBCU
Confirmation of copyright ownership of the content to be digitized
A brief description of the state of their current photo library —e.g., analog vs. digitized
Description of how the digitization project will impact their institution
Please email our team ‑ hbcugrants@gettyimages.com

Please note: We are sensitive to the impact the global pandemic has had on all institutions. Should any part of your application for the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs be impacted by COVID‑related considerations, please add comments on your grant application. Getty Images will support you in addressing those issues in any way we can. Please also know that should you be awarded the grant, Getty Images and its partners will conduct the digitization in a manner which supports the safety and wellness of your staff and students.

Contact us at hbcugrant@gettyimages.com

Award Details: 

The grant will fund the digitization of up to 100k images
Getty Images will work alongside the HBCU to create an onsite digitization process on the HBCU's campus.
The HBCU will guide the digitization process.
Getty Images will provide funding and mentorship to support HBCU students interested in participating in the digitization process and learning about their school's history and photography.   
The HBCU grant recipients retain full copyright ownership to their content. 
HBCU's approved content will be placed in the HBCU Photo Collection on www.gettyimages.com for global syndication opportunities and 100% of the revenue will impact the HBCU Community.
Please review the Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer:  Our grants are not meant to fund: an organization's general operating costs; for‑profit companies; or individual artists in the production of photography. 

Inaugural Grant ‑ Judges

Dr. Tukufu Zuberi

Professor of Sociology – The Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations at University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Deborah Willis

Academic Director, Professor & Chair at NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Mercedes Cooper

Director of Programming at ARRAY

Renata Cherlise

Founder, Blackarchives.co

Aba Blankson

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at at NAACP

Raina Kelley

Vice President and Editor‑in‑Chief of The Undefeated

“Getty Images is one of the main sources for imagery. Historically Black Colleges and University have archives of some of the most important images related to Black Lives. The Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs is a collaboration that may increase access and dissemination of these important images to the world. The Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs also stands as a model of how to leverage resources and organizational structure to remove barriers to diversity of content and purpose.”

Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, Professor of Race Relations & Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Will Getty Images work with HBCUs who did not receive the Grant?

Getty Images is interested in supporting the HBCU community. Please contact us at hbcugrant@gettyimages.com to discuss your HBCU's archival library and contemporary photography coverage.

When will the next Grant be announced?

Getty Images will share details about the new grant offering in a few months. Feel free to reach out to our team at hbcugrant@gettyimages.com.

Will this content be available for commercial use?

The HBCU Photo Collection is considered editorial content and will be made available via Getty Images’ standard licensing workflow for all editorial use.

With all Editorial content on www.gettyimages.com ‑ commercial uses require an approval from the copyright holder. Getty Images would contact the HBCU to secure an approval in all instances where customers express an interest in licensing content from the HBCU Collection for commercial uses.

For more information about licensing editorial vs. Commercial uses on www.gettyimages.com, please refer to our EULA.

How do I see the content currently on www.gettyimages.com which represents my school?

You can conduct a search on www.gettyimages.com – under the Archive or News sections of the site. If content does not surface based on your initial search, try entering colleges or universities in your state. Please note, metadata for archival content on our site may not have the full scope of caption or identifiable information to connect the image to a HBCU. Our goal is to correct this. Please contact us at HBCUgrant@gettyimages.com if you would like to discuss content representation.

How will customers find the HBCU content on www.gettyimages.com?

Getty Images will place all HBCU related content in a new Photo Collection called the HBCU Photo Collection which will include the newly digitized content from the HBCU Grant Recipients. This Collection will also house all existing digital files from HBCUs who apply to the Grants Program and wish to have their content represented. Customers will be able to identify HBCU related content based on the keywords and metadata applied to this content.

Can additional charitable donations be considered for the project?

Our goal for the HBCU Grant is to grow the program to be sustainable through the reinvestment of revenue and additional financial donations to ensure the HBCU Grant can be announced annually. We will consider all charitable donation opportunities to fully invest in the program and ensure the long‑term goal of preserving HBCUs visual history.

Who can apply for this grant?

The Higher Education Act of 1965, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” .

How many assets will Getty Images digitize?

The Grant Recipients will have the opportunity for up to 100,000 analogue visual assets to be digitized. Included in the Grant we will also offer to apply metadata and licensing opportunities for the HBCU’s existing digital libraries.   This includes contemporary photo coverage.

How will the applications be evaluated?

The Grant Applications will be evaluated via a secure site. Getty Images will work alongside historians and scholars to review the submissions to ensure they meet guidelines regarding copyright ownership and the availability of content for the program. The judges are listed on the Grants information Page.

What will be the process of digitization?

Getty Images will partner with an established third‑party digitization company to create a workflow and timeline which will be most beneficial for the HBCU Grant Recipients. The HBCU will provide internal personnel to curate the content and validate copyright ownership. Stipends will be issued to students selected by the HBCU Grant Recipient to participate in the project.

The digitization company will manage the scanning and metadata capturing processes to ensure the content meets Getty Images’ standard guidelines. The digitization company will upload scanned images to the HBCU’s Digital Asset Management System and the Getty Images platform. The HBCU retain full copyright of their photography.

How will the revenue of the content licensed be spent?

All royalties from the images that are preserved through the Grants are funneled back into impact programs: Fifty percent will go to Grant recipients, who will retain all copyright of the visual assets; thirty percent of royalties will be used for a financial donation to a scholarship fund focused on furthering the education of students at HBCUs; and twenty percent will be reinvested to fund the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs each year.