Getty Conservation Guest Scholar Grant 2026: $21,500 Residency for Cultural Heritage Conservation Professionals
The Getty Conservation Institute offers established cultural heritage conservation professionals a three-month residential grant with $21,500, housing, a workstation, research assistance, travel support and an available healthcare option.
Getty Conservation Guest Scholar Grant 2026: $21,500 Residency for Cultural Heritage Conservation Professionals
The Getty Conservation Institute is accepting applications for its Conservation Guest Scholars Program through October 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Los Angeles time. The program gives established conservation professionals a three-month residence at the Getty Conservation Institute to pursue an original research project without normal work obligations. The current grant terms provide $21,500 for the three-month residency, along with an apartment in Getty scholar housing, a workstation at the Conservation Institute, research assistance, a travel stipend, and an available healthcare option.
This is a focused opportunity for people already working in cultural heritage conservation or preservation. It is not an entry-level scholarship, a general arts residency, or a postdoctoral award. Getty says applicants should have at least seven years of professional experience and an established record of publications or other contributions to the field. The proposed project should advance conservation practice and make a clear, practical use of Getty resources, such as its collections, staff expertise, library, or research setting.
The program supports work relating to objects, collections, architecture, and sites. Scholars may be based anywhere in the world and may work as researchers or practitioners. A proposal can require use of Getty science laboratories, but laboratory access depends on facility and staff availability and is not guaranteed. Applicants whose work is primarily postdoctoral research or intended to contribute to a PhD or other academic degree should use a different opportunity.
Key details
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Opportunity | Getty Conservation Guest Scholars Program |
| Organizer | Getty Conservation Institute |
| Application deadline | October 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Los Angeles time (GMT-7) |
| Grant amount | $21,500 for a three-month residency |
| Additional support | Getty scholar-housing apartment, workstation, research assistance, travel stipend, and an available healthcare option |
| Residency terms | September–December, January–March, or April–June |
| Location | Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, California |
| Eligible applicants | Conservation researchers and practitioners of any nationality with at least seven years of professional experience |
| Academic restriction | Postdoctoral research and work contributing to a PhD or other academic degree are not considered |
| Application route | Getty Foundation Grant Portal |
| Decision timing | Applicants are expected to be notified in March or April 2027 |
| Official source | Getty Conservation Guest Scholars |
Getty notes that these grant terms apply as of August 2026 and may change in the future. Confirm the live page before submitting and do not assume that a current benefit will remain unchanged after an award is made.
What the grant provides
The central benefit is protected time. A three-month residence allows a scholar to work on a defined project away from ordinary job responsibilities. The grant amount is $21,500 for the three-month term. That figure should be treated as the confirmed award amount, not as a monthly salary or a promise of separate project expenses.
The residential package adds important non-cash support. Getty provides an apartment in its scholar housing complex and a workstation at the Conservation Institute. The program also lists research assistance, a travel stipend, and an available healthcare option. Together, these benefits can reduce the cost and friction of a research period in Los Angeles. The official page does not state that every possible travel or healthcare cost is fully covered, so applicants should ask Getty for current terms if those details affect their ability to accept a residency.
The residency can be scheduled in one of three three-month windows: September to December, January to March, or April to June. Getty does not state on the public page that an applicant may freely choose any window after selection, so indicate a realistic preference in the application if the form asks for one and confirm the final placement with the program.
The program is also an intellectual opportunity. Scholars use research collections at the Getty Center and Getty Villa and take part in Getty’s scholarly community. This can be especially valuable when the project depends on access to conservation knowledge, collections, library materials, or conversations with specialists. The strongest proposals will explain exactly what the Getty setting makes possible rather than treating the residency as a prestigious location with no operational reason.
Who is eligible
Applications are welcome from researchers and practitioners of all nationalities who work in cultural heritage conservation or preservation. Getty identifies objects, collections, architecture, and sites as relevant areas. The program is intended for established professionals: applicants should have at least seven years of professional experience and an established record of publications and other contributions to the field. Contributions do not have to be limited to journal articles. The important question is whether the applicant can demonstrate sustained, field-relevant work and the ability to complete the proposed project.
Getty encourages applications from people who are underrepresented across cultural heritage conservation. That encouragement does not replace the experience and record requirements, but applicants should describe relevant professional context clearly when it helps reviewers understand the significance of their work and perspective.
The program excludes postdoctoral research and research that contributes to a PhD or another academic degree. A recent PhD in chemistry or a related physical or materials science field is directed to Getty’s separate Postdoctoral Fellowship in Conservation Science. A project may still be scholarly, but it must be framed as an independent professional contribution to conservation rather than as a degree requirement or postdoctoral continuation.
Previous Conservation Guest Scholar Grant recipients may reapply after a six-year waiting period. Current Getty staff and members of their immediate family are not eligible. The program may consider a project that needs Getty laboratory facilities, but selection does not guarantee laboratory access, and scholars must be prepared to work independently of Science department staff.
What makes a strong project fit
A suitable project has a clear relationship to cultural heritage conservation or preservation and a credible reason to be completed, or substantially advanced, during a three-month residence. The proposal should make the project concrete enough for a reviewer to understand its question, method, expected result, and contribution to practice. A broad topic such as “the future of conservation” is unlikely to be persuasive without a defined study plan.
The project should also explain why Getty is the right place to do the work. Identify the specific collections, research resources, facilities, staff knowledge, or scholarly community that matter. If the project uses Getty collections, name the type of material and explain what examination or comparison is needed. If it involves conservation science, distinguish the work that requires Getty facilities from the work you can complete independently, since laboratory availability is not guaranteed.
The program accepts both research and practice-oriented work. A practitioner might propose a documented study of a conservation method, a comparative analysis of preservation approaches, or a project that changes how a field handles a class of objects or sites. A researcher might develop a methodology, synthesize evidence, or produce an outcome that helps professionals make better conservation decisions. The common thread is advancement of conservation practice, not merely personal study.
How to apply
Applications are submitted through the Getty Foundation Grant Portal. When the application is open, applicants create or update an account, sign in, and begin a new application. Getty recommends using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari; Internet Explorer is not compatible with the portal. The portal allows applicants to save work and return later. After saving, use the “Applications: In Progress” area to reopen the existing form rather than starting another version by mistake.
The application has three core written components:
- A project proposal of no more than five typed, double-spaced pages.
- An abridged curriculum vitae of no more than five typed, single-spaced pages.
- A selected bibliography of no more than two typed, single-spaced pages.
The proposal must include six distinct elements: a project description, methodology, the parts of the methodology that would be pursued while at Getty, expected outcome, the project’s contribution to conservation practice, the applicant’s qualifications, and the benefits of Getty resources to the project. Getty presents these as required content even though some items are closely related, so use headings or unmistakable transitions to make each one easy to find.
Letters of reference are not considered in the evaluation. Do not spend the limited proposal space building a reference-letter strategy or attach unsolicited material. Getty’s page says that the application is evaluated on the quality of the application, contribution to conservation practice, past achievements, qualifications, and the benefit of Getty resources.
Timeline and deadline
The hard deadline is October 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Los Angeles time (GMT-7). The public page says applications are now open and that the decision will be communicated in March or April 2027. The residency terms listed by Getty are September–December, January–March, or April–June.
Work backward from the deadline. Leave time to confirm that the project is eligible, check page limits after conversion to PDF, and verify that the portal saved the final version. The five-page proposal limit includes tables and figures if you use them. The bibliography has its own two-page limit, and the CV has its own five-page limit. Treat the deadline as a submission cutoff rather than the time to begin uploading: portal logins, file conversion, or slow uploads can consume the final minutes.
Required materials and preparation
Start with a one-page internal outline before drafting. Write the project question, the specific Getty resources required, the method, the result you expect to produce, and the reason the work matters to conservation professionals. Then expand that outline into the required proposal sections. This sequence helps keep the application centered on a feasible project rather than a career autobiography.
For the CV, select evidence that demonstrates the required professional experience and field contribution. Include the work most relevant to the proposed project, such as conservation practice, publications, exhibitions, technical reports, collection work, standards development, teaching, or professional service. Do not assume reviewers will infer relevance from a long list. Make the connection visible through concise descriptions and a logical order.
The bibliography should place the project in its intellectual and professional context. Getty asks for scholarly works other than the applicant’s own that are important to the project. Choose sources that inform the method, establish the conservation problem, or show how the proposal will move practice forward. A short, carefully selected bibliography is more useful than a long list that the proposal never discusses.
If you plan to use Getty collections, contact the relevant Getty resource area early enough to confirm that the material exists and can be consulted during the proposed period. Do not promise access, equipment, staff time, or laboratory work that you have not checked. Getty’s public terms specifically say laboratory use depends on availability and staff time, so write the proposal so the core project remains viable even if laboratory support is limited.
Reviewer expectations and common mistakes
The review criteria point to five questions: Is the application well made? Does the project advance conservation practice? Has the applicant achieved enough to carry it out? Are the qualifications appropriate? Why does Getty materially improve the project? Answer all five directly.
A common mistake is presenting the award as a general sabbatical. The program provides protected research time, but reviewers still need to see a defined project and a useful outcome. Another mistake is describing Getty only in terms of reputation. Replace general praise with a resource map: collection, archive, library, laboratory, staff expertise, or scholarly exchange, followed by the task that resource enables.
Avoid hiding the project inside a lengthy biography. Experience matters because it establishes credibility, but the proposal must spend most of its space on what you will do and why the field benefits. Avoid a degree-oriented framing, since postdoctoral and degree-related work is excluded. Also avoid assuming that recommendation letters will strengthen the application; Getty says they are not considered.
Finally, do not make the project depend on an unconfirmed laboratory slot or an undefined research assistant. State the independent work you can complete, identify any optional support, and explain how the outcome remains meaningful under the confirmed program terms.
Frequently asked questions
Is the $21,500 a salary?
No. Getty describes it as the grant for a three-month residency. The public page does not call it a salary or provide a monthly payment schedule. Housing and other listed support are separate elements of the residential grant package.
Can applicants from outside the United States apply?
Yes. Getty welcomes researchers and practitioners of all nationalities. The residency itself takes place in Los Angeles, California, and applicants should account for travel and immigration logistics early.
Can a PhD student apply?
Not for research that contributes to a PhD or another academic degree. Getty also excludes postdoctoral research. Applicants should select a professional conservation project that stands on its own rather than a dissertation or postdoctoral requirement.
Are recommendation letters required?
No letters of reference are considered in the evaluation. Concentrate on the proposal, abridged CV, and selected bibliography requested by Getty.
Is housing included?
Yes. The current terms list an apartment in the Getty scholar housing complex. Because Getty says terms are subject to future changes, verify the current housing and healthcare details before accepting an award.
Can the project use Getty laboratories?
Possibly, but access is not guaranteed. Getty will consider proposals requiring its science laboratories, yet facility and staff availability determine whether that work can happen. The applicant must be prepared to conduct the research independently of Science department staff.
When will applicants hear the result?
Getty says applicants will be notified in March or April 2027. The current application deadline is October 1, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Los Angeles time.
Official links and next steps
Read the official Getty Conservation Guest Scholars page for the live deadline, eligibility, grant terms, application portal, and review criteria. Before submitting, confirm that your project is not degree-related, your professional record meets the experience threshold, and your proposal clearly identifies the Getty resources that make the residency valuable.
The best next step is to draft the project description and resource plan, then check the page limits before polishing the prose. If the project depends on collections, laboratory access, travel, or healthcare, ask Getty for current operational details rather than building an important assumption into your budget. Submit through the Grant Portal before the October 1 cutoff and retain a copy of the exact files you uploaded.