Getty Trust Gets $12 Million for School Bus Fund
A $12 million gift from the Camilla Chandler Family Foundation will pay for free bus transportation to the Getty Center for eligible K-12 school visits.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Philanthropy
The J. Paul Getty Trust received a $12 million donation from the Camilla Chandler Family Foundation in September 2025, creating the Mia Chandler Fund for School Visits. The fund will provide free bus transportation for eligible K-12 school visits to the Getty Center.
Why it matters
Transportation costs for an entire class can run to hundreds or thousands of dollars, often forcing schools to reduce or cancel educational trips. The endowment is intended to remove that barrier for Title I and similarly eligible schools in Los Angeles and across California.
The $12 million endowment is the largest gift the Getty Trust has received since the J. Paul Getty bequest, and the program has potential to serve more than 100,000 K-12 student visitors annually. In 2024-25, Getty served 47,128 students and chaperones from Title I schools, but the source does not say how many of those trips the new fund will cover.
The players
J. Paul Getty Trust
The J. Paul Getty Trust is a Los Angeles-based philanthropic organization that operates the Getty Center, the Getty Villa, and related arts and education programs.
Camilla Chandler Family Foundation
The Camilla Chandler Family Foundation is the philanthropic foundation that made the $12 million gift to fund school bus transportation to the Getty.
The details
The Mia Chandler Fund for School Visits will cover bus transportation for eligible K-12 classes visiting the Getty Center. Schools apply for transportation when making school-visit arrangements, subject to eligibility and funding, and the endowment is designed to support school transportation programs over the long term.
Timeline
1977: The Getty School Visit Program began at the Getty Villa.
1998: The Getty Center opened and the program expanded.
September 2025: The Getty reported the $12 million Chandler Foundation donation.
2024-25: Getty served 47,128 students and chaperones from Title I schools.
Philanthropy Trajectory
The Getty School Visit Program has operated since 1977 at the Getty Villa and expanded with the Getty Center's 1998 opening. The Chandler gift builds on that history by targeting transportation costs, a barrier the program's earlier decades did not address with a dedicated endowment.
Teachers at eligible Title I and similarly eligible schools can ask about transportation when making school-visit arrangements, though approval depends on eligibility and funding. Schools that have previously canceled Getty trips because of bus costs may want to check whether the new fund applies to them.
The takeaway
Dedicated endowments can turn a recurring cost barrier into a predictable program benefit, letting schools plan field trips without absorbing hundreds or thousands of dollars in transportation fees. The gift shows how a single philanthropic commitment can extend an established educational offering to students who could not otherwise attend.
Further reading
For related coverage, see Philanthropy in Los Angeles.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Economic Times.
