Getty Images' "Grants for Good" Program
Getty Images, Inc., has announced an expansion of its photographer grant program to involve the creative community, whose work often benefits the non-profit sector. Getty Images Grants for Good will award two photographers $15,000 each to cover costs associated with creating compelling imagery to raise awareness about the issues and work of a non-profit they admire.
“The growth of our grant program is a testament to Getty Images’ ongoing commitment to making tangible, positive contributions in the world through the power of imagery,” said Andrew Saunders, vice president of imagery at Getty Images. “These grants enable more photographers to produce extraordinary imagery for important causes, supporting non-profits, NGO’s, professional associations and charities.”
Getty Images is bringing together a distinguished panel of industry experts to judge the grant applications. The panel currently consists of Curator Christopher Phillips, International Center of Photography, and Publisher and Editor Lesley Martin, Aperture Foundation.
The two grant recipients will be announced at the 2009 Cannes Advertising Festival in June. In addition to the cash prize, the winning photographers will have the option to collaborate with Getty Images’ team of art directors, photo editors and producers during the execution of their project. The photographers’ resulting work will be showcased on gettyimages.com and will be used by the non-profit to develop more powerful visual communications.
“Photographers are encouraged to approach their grant project with a high level of creativity and collaboration with the non-profit and their creative agency,” said Saunders. ”It also provides photographers with tremendous flexibility in their donation to the non-profit. Photographers can choose to have either all or a portion of the funding directed to the designated charity if they wish to contribute their own time or resources to the project.”
Grants for Good applications are due April 15, 2009. To apply, photographers are asked to submit a short written proposal outlining the shoot plan, a supporting portfolio of work, their CV/resume, a profile of the non-profit with whom they will partner, and a statement of the organization’s support for the application. All materials are to be submitted digitally through the new Getty Images Grants website, www.gettyimages.com/grants.
Getty Images Grants Program was first established in 2004 with Grants for Editorial Photography, awarding five a year of $20,000 each to fund visionary new work by established and rising photojournalists. Since its inception, 20 photojournalists have been empowered to bring compelling news stories to light, while improving their craft with personally motivated assignments. In 2009, Getty Images is pleased to expand its program with Grants for Good, which enables photographers to produce powerful new imagery for the greater good.
For more information on Getty Images Grants for Good and Grants for Editorial Photography, including complete submission guidelines, visit www.gettyimages.com/grants.
It is in Getty’s own interest that they give grants to photographers. It is actually disappointing that the government gives them a tax break for this, since it is hardly benevolent. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad for grants to artists, most of the time, but Getty is the most unjustly discriminatory of grant givers that I have ever come across after several years in not-for-profit marketing for various organizations. This article is an example of how they “grant” money for advertising purposes. Letter of the law they are following, but I scarcely would give them any props or credit for this.
Stephen Ferry and Karen Kasmauski received the first two grants of $15K each! See their projects, their nonprofit partners and imagery from their porfolio at http://www.gettyimages.com/grants