Scholarships for Latin American Professionals:
APOYO worked closely with several organizations to make funding and travel bursaries available to qualified individuals to attend professional meetings. This project started in 1992 and is still in operation. It has offered scholarships to over 350 professionals from Latin America and the Caribbean to attend international conservation meetings in the USA and Canada. The Getty Grant Program and the Getty Conservation Institute of the USA, the Vitae Foundation of Brazil, the Andes Foundation of Chile, and the Antorchas Foundation of Argentina have funded this project. Today, only the Getty Grant Program funds the scholarships and it is administered by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation.
The scholarships have provided an important forum to professionals all over the Hemisphere, where ideas, technology and cultural exchanges have resulted in closer ties and friendships. Seeds have been planted and training opportunities have developed in several countries.
Awards for Latin American Institutions:
Starting in 2000, APOYO obtained funding from four important manufactures and distributors of conservation products to establish awards for Latin American institutions. The Gaylord, the Metal Edge, the Museum Services Corporation, and the University Products Awards for US$1,500.00 each were given annually to institutions that excelled in coping with difficult economic circumstances in caring for their collections. The awards were given in the form of material selected from the catalogue of each company. The awards include the cost of transportation of the goods to the closest port or airport to the award recipient.