Getty Trust Launches $10 Million Fund For Local Visual Arts Organizations

Los Angeles might be best known for its biggest museums, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Broad, but it’s also home to scores of smaller nonprofit art spaces, many of which are struggling to survive the pandemic.

In response, the J. Paul Getty Trust has created a $10 million fund to help those Los Angeles County organizations that might not have access to cash reserves, endowments or wealthy donors.

In announcing the fund, the Getty board of directors said the grants, ranging from $25,000 to $200,000, would be directed toward “small and mid-size organizations” that “contribute significantly to the region’s artistic diversity and are facing great difficulty during the coronavirus crisis.” The funds will be administered by the California Community Foundation.

The Getty also said that cash earmarked for its $25,000 artist grants through the CCF Fellowships for Visual Artists would instead be distributed to support visual artists in need.

“At this juncture, we are moved by a sense of responsibility to support many of those same organizations as they struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout,” Getty board president James Cuno said in announcing the two initiatives.

Leslie Ito, executive director of Pasadena’s Armory Center for the Arts, which is both a contemporary art gallery and teaching facility, praised the Getty’s decision.

“Small and midsize organizations are vital to the arts ecology in Southern California,” Ito said in an email to KPCC. “They are also the most vulnerable because we employ artists and creative professionals, operate facilities and the lucky ones have saved a bit over time as a cushion. The Getty’s generous investment and recognition of small and mid size arts organizations will help us strategically navigate and adapt rather than being in a constant state of triage.”

The trust, which has a $10 billion endowment, said it will continue to pay its 1,400 employees, including benefits and sick leave. The Getty also asked that individuals and organizations consider donating to its relief fund.

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