Black Visual Arts Archives

Getty Foundation began the initiative in 2022 with a pilot group of five organizations to survey and process publicly accessible collections that contain crucial information about Black visual art in the United States.

In 2025, we expanded Black Visual Arts Archives into a multi-year funding program and announced seven new grants. Grantees engage in a range of activities including the inventory, processing, rehousing, and digitization of collections. Grants support can also include training for staff and community members and public programming.

Grantees convene periodically to enhance knowledge sharing among participants and build a community of practice around the stewardship of Black visual archives.

Black Visual Arts Archives grants are open to non-profit organizations with archival collections related to Black visual arts, including public libraries, community arts organizations, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Projects that are eligible for grant support include collection surveys, archival processing and/or digitization, technical training for established and emerging archivists, and public programming to engage new and existing audiences with the organization’s collections.

There is no annual deadline; grants are awarded on an ongoing basis. Organizations that are interested in applying are advised to review the descriptions of grants awarded and submit an inquiry by email using the contact information below. Inquiries should include a brief statement (no more than 500 words) on the collection(s) that would be part of the project, the state of the archives, how much is requested, and how the organization would use the funds.

Grants typically range from $100,000 to $300,000.