Getty Scholars Program at the Villa

Since 1985, the Getty Scholars Program has hosted nearly 1,500 residential scholars from countries around the world to conduct research on topics related to the annual theme. Getty receives between 300 and 400 applications for various scholar programs annually and awards scholarships to about a dozen Villa Scholar applicants each year. At the Villa, recent projects have explored the arts, history, and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean region and the afterlife of antiquity up to the present. Seeking to approach the classical world in a global context, researchers have investigated its interconnections with the Near East, Africa, and Europe, spanning the periods from prehistory to Late Antiquity.

Intended to support scholars and individuals who have attained distinction in their fields, grant recipients pursue their own projects free from other obligations, make use of the Getty collections, and join colleagues in weekly lectures devoted to the annual research theme. A mix of established and emerging scholars as well as post-doctoral fellows are selected for the Scholars Program cohort. The three main grant categories are:

1. Scholar Grants for established researchers and professionals who have held PhDs for at least 5 years and/or possess strong records of publication and professional activity at the Getty Center or Getty Villa
2. Postdoctoral Fellowships for recently granted PhDs at the Getty Center or Getty Villa
3. Predoctoral Fellowships for PhD candidates at the Getty Center

This page provides information about Scholar Grants for established researchers and professionals residing at the Getty Villa.

The Classical World in Context: Religious Experience in Antiquity

A multitude of religions flourished in the Mediterranean and beyond from the second millennium BCE through the Late Roman era. Addressing the diversity of faiths and rituals, scholars will consider the consequences of contact between the Greek and Roman worlds and neighboring civilizations of the Near East, Africa, and transalpine Europe. The intersection of religions entailed continuity and coexistence as well as intolerance and conflict. Conquest, commerce, migration, and the foundation of “international” sanctuaries facilitated new forms of worship. These interactions, which both reflected and shaped religious experience, were widely manifested in art and material culture. Engaging systems of belief that range from state-sponsored religion and local cults to private devotion, researchers will investigate how communities reconciled the spiritually charged and socially fluid landscapes around them.

The Getty Scholars Program at the Villa focuses on the Classical World in Context, a multi-year initiative to explore the interconnectivity between the ancient Mediterranean region and the cultures of Africa and Eurasia. Priority will be given to research projects that apply interdisciplinary, comparative, transregional, and diachronic approaches to art, material culture, literature, and other sources for the study of antiquity.

The deadline for this application cycle has passed. Applications for 2026–2027 year grants will open in summer 2025.

Applications are welcome from researchers of all nationalities who are working in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.

Applicants who received their degree after September 1, 2021 should apply for a postdoctoral fellowship. Postdoctoral fellowships will not be offered at the Getty Villa in 2025-26, but may be offered for other themes at the Getty Research Institute.

Current Getty staff and members of their immediate family are not eligible for Scholar Grants. Recent recipients who have received a Getty Scholar award within the past six years may be removed from consideration.

Getty Villa Scholars may be in residence from three to six months:

• Three-month residency: September–December, January–March, or April–June: $21,500
• Six-month residency: September–March, or January–June: $43,000

Residential grants also include an office at the Getty Villa, an apartment in the Getty scholar housing complex, a travel stipend, and an available healthcare option. These terms apply as of June 2023 and the terms and length of grants are subject to change. Health and safety guidelines for grantees may also be imposed.

See the overview of the Getty Residential Scholar and Fellow Program for further details about stipends, housing, healthcare, and more.

Applications are submitted through the Getty Foundation Grant Portal. When the application is open, users can create or update their account and password, log in, and begin a new application. For the best user experience, we strongly recommend use of the Google Chrome browser. You may also use Firefox or Safari. The Internet Explorer (IE) browser is not compatible with our portal.

You may return to your work at any time by visiting the portal at the link above and logging into your account.

Please note: Once you have created and saved an application form, be sure to return to work on the same form by selecting the "Applications: In Progress" link to return to your saved application. Otherwise, you may inadvertently create multiple versions of the same application.

Not to exceed five pages, typed and double-spaced, and up to five illustrations. The application must include a description of the applicant's proposed plan of study, indicating 1) how the project addresses the annual theme and 2) how it would benefit from the resources at the Getty, including its library and collections.

The curriculum vitae (CV) is a record of all your professional activities.

Applicants are welcome to submit a single writing sample in support of their proposal. Such material should not exceed 20 pages in length.

Applicants will be notified of their application outcome approximately six months after the deadline.