Getty Images is helping Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) digitize rare photographic archives that document African American history from the Reconstruction era onward.
Many of these priceless images have been stored in boxes, at risk of damage and largely inaccessible to the public.
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The Getty Images photo archive grants program aims to bridge that gap by funding digitization and global sharing.
Program Launched in 2021
Cassandra Illidge, vice-president of partnerships and HBCU programs at Getty Images, said the company realized there was a lack of content from HBCUs.
“HBCUs hold such a rich history.
We wanted to build something that was unique and specifically would address their needs,” she told The Guardian.
Launched in 2021 alongside the Getty family and Stand Together, the program lets participating schools retain full copyright and receive direct financial benefits.
Licensing revenues are split: 50% goes to the institution, 30% funds student scholarships, and 20% supports future digitization.
Brenda Allen, president of Lincoln University, said the program helps monetize rare images depicting African Americans through the centuries.
“It’s been very helpful in not only bringing in a few dollars, but also helping to get that history of movement out in the world,” she told The Guardian.
Lincoln University and Jackson State University also partnered with Ancestry to make historical documents and photographic archives fully searchable online.
Allen noted that Ancestry re-digitized old materials from the 1800s, upgrading what had been simple scans.
