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:
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 This includes bringing to market rarely‑seen historical content and creating revenue streams for organizations working to build a more inclusive society.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.
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.
- 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)
- 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)
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
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
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
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?
When will the next Grant be announced?
Will this content be available for commercial 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?
How will customers find the HBCU content on www.gettyimages.com?
Can additional charitable donations be considered for the project?
Who can apply for this grant?
How many assets will Getty Images digitize?
How will the applications be evaluated?
What will be the process of digitization?
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?
Who will own copyright of the content?