A young person stands over a table of wood and metal art objects and examines them.

2022 Getty Marrow Intern Anya Nyman at The Fowler Museum at UCLA

Photo: J. Paul Getty Trust

For over 30 years, the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship program has funded paid summer internships for outstanding students who are members of groups underrepresented in museums and visual arts organizations. This can include groups defined by—among other things—socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, geographical origin and/or any life experiences that add diverse and underrepresented perspectives. Since 1993, 175 local arts institutions, including Getty, have hosted over 3,500 interns, introducing them to career possibilities in the arts.

Eligibility to Host an Intern

Organizations must be:

  • A museum or visual arts organization; and
  • Located in Los Angeles County; and
  • A nonprofit as defined by section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service Code, and/or a fiscally sponsored visual arts organization.

Eligible museums and visual arts organizations include collecting and/or exhibiting institutions, community-based arts and arts education organizations, arts and culture research and education organizations, history or heritage preservation organizations, university art museums and galleries, and/or municipal or county government agencies and departments that provide arts programs and services.

Ineligible organizations include organizations without a physical office and/or location in Los Angeles; nonprofit performing arts, arts service, and literary arts organizations; and non-exhibiting organizations whose primary mission is not arts-related (e.g., social service, religious, education, botanical gardens, zoos, or health organizations).

Fiscal Sponsorship

A museum or visual arts organization without its own nonprofit status may use a fiscal sponsor/agent for the purpose of submitting an application under the following criteria:

  • Grants are made directly to the fiscal sponsor, which then assumes oversight of the project and is entirely responsible for the management of funds and for reporting on the project.
  • Grant requests through a fiscal sponsor have additional application requirements: the two organizations must have a formal agreement in place for each project and documentation of that agreement must be included as part of the application materials; in addition, a letter of support is required from the fiscal sponsor, acknowledging its responsibilities if the application is successful.
  • The applicant organization and its fiscal sponsor must be located in Los Angeles County.

Review Criteria

We encourage organizations to focus their internships on departments and projects that most closely match the goals of the program and will offer dedicated mentorship to interns. For collecting and exhibiting institutions we encourage internships in curatorial, collections/registration and archives, communications, conservation, development and grant writing, digital media, education, library collections, public programs and engagement, and publication. Please note: if you are applying to host interns in arts education, priority will be given to proposals focused on the skills needed to work in museums and visual arts organizations.

Applications are reviewed according to the following criteria:

  • Goal alignment: Proposed internships are in alignment with the goals of the program.
  • Design of internship: Strength of supervision and mentorship plan, quality of projects, and potential to develop transferable skills.
  • Strength of organization: Organization's mission, capacity, leadership, and engagement with issues related to groups underrepresented in museums and visual arts organizations.
  • History of past internships: Track record with prior participation (N/A for new applicants).

Terms

Eligible organizations may request support for one to three full-time internships, each with a stipend of $6,800 for a consecutive 10-week work period between June and August. Organizations will receive an additional $750 per internship to assist with overhead. Large organizations requesting more than one intern are encouraged to provide at least one position in a curatorial or conservation department. Organizations receiving grants will be responsible for recruiting eligible interns.

How To Apply

The application deadline for summer 2024 has now passed. The information below remains available for refence only. Applications for the next cycle will open in fall 2024.

The deadline for organizations to apply for summer 2024 is November 15, 2023 at 5 p.m. (PST).

Applications are submitted through our Fluxx 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: due to the large volume of applications received, staff are unable to respond to application-related questions once the deadline has passed. All applicants will be notified of the Getty Foundation's decision in the spring of 2024.

Please address inquiries to:

Phone: (310) 440-7320; E-mail: summerinterns@getty.edu

Los Angeles County Internship Grants for Performing and Literary Arts Organizations

Through a related program, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission offers grants to performing and literary arts organizations in Los Angeles County for undergraduate summer internships. Application forms and information about these grants are available online at www.lacountyarts.org or by calling (213) 202-5858.

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