Visual AIDS Digitization Grant

Visual AIDS offers digitization grants to support Artist Members and estates in digitizing analog audiovisual materials related to their artistic practice. Eligible materials include video art, interviews, and documentation of artwork, exhibitions, or performances.

Each grant covers the digitization of up to 10 items — video tapes, film, audio, or photographs. (1 item = 1 tape, 1 film reel, or 1 set of 25 photographs)

We request that a copy of the digital files created with the grant be donated to the Visual AIDS Archive.

The service is offered through Legacybox (legacybox.com), a mail-order service for artists living in the continental United States.

The grant application deadline is September 15 and February 15 each year.

How it works

1. Provide as much specific information about the materials you would like to digitize as possible.
   
   
2. Visual AIDS will notify you if you are selected to receive a digitization grant.
   
   
3. You will receive a Legacybox kit in the mail, including a step-by-step welcome guide, barcodes for each item, and a pre-paid UPS shipping label.
   
   
4. Attach barcodes to each item, pack your materials into the box, and drop the filled Legacybox off at a UPS location.
   
   
5. Legacybox will notify you by email when the package is received, and keep you updated about the digitization process.
   
   
6. After ~4 weeks, your materials will be returned in the mail and you will receive your digital files on a thumb drive as well as via a digital download link.
   
   
7. Once you receive your digital files, you'll need to submit a report form. Visual AIDS will follow up to discuss adding the digitized materials to our archive.

For more information, see here: https://legacybox.com/pages/how-it-works

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

1. Be either a current Visual AIDS artist member or have audiovisual materials relating to a deceased HIV positive artist who is represented in the Visual AIDS archive.
   
   
2. Live in the continental United States.
   
   
3. Have not received a grant from Visual AIDS in the past 12 months.
   
   
4. Agree to complete a report on the use of the grant.
   
   
5. Submit a completed application form by the deadline (February 15 or September 15).
   
   
6. You cannot receive an Artist Support Grant and a Digitization Grant in the same grant cycle. Please only apply for one grant per cycle.

Priority will be given to those who have not received a grant from Visual AIDS before.

Disclaimer

Legacybox is a consumer-level digitization service. It provides compressed video files (~1GB/hour), NOT preservation level archival transfers (~50GB/hour). Your digitized video may contain subtle digital artifacts.

Visual AIDS is NOT responsible for the safety of your analog materials or for the quality of the digital transfer.

For more information about video preservation, see XFR Collective's resource list here: https://www.xfrcollective.org/resources/faq/

Please describe the specific items you plan to digitize. Each grant covers the digitization of up to 10 items — video tapes, film, audio, or photographs. (1 item = 1 tape, 1 film reel, or 1 set of 25 photographs)

The materials you would like to digitize must be related to your artistic practice. Eligible materials include video art, interviews, and documentation of artwork, exhibitions, or performances.

Please be as specific as possible when describing your materials and why you would like to digitize them.