The National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, has released guidelines and application materials for the Creative Forces Community Engagement grant program, part of the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network. Grants support non-clinical, community-based arts engagement programming for military and veteran populations, including family members and caregivers. Applications are now available on maaa.org/CreativeForces. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Since 2017, Creative Forces has invested in community-based arts engagement activities that take place in healthcare, community, or virtual settings. Creative Forces Community Engagement projects address the distinct experiences, challenges, and strengths of a broad military-connected population through experiences of art or art-making. Projects should focus on one or more of the following participant outcomes:
- Creative Expression—a better understanding of self and others by creating or engaging with art
- Social Connectedness—supportive relationships and a sense of belonging to a community
- Resilience—the ability to rebound from stress, unexpected events, or life’s challenges
- Independence and successful adaptation to civilian life—a sense of purpose and positive self-worth that supports adapting and readjusting to civilian life
Funding will support projects beginning on or after July 1, 2025, in one of two categories:
Emerging:
- Support for eligible organizations to develop and implement new or emerging non-clinical arts engagement programs or for small organizations to provide non-clinical arts engagement for military-connected populations
- Cost-share/matching grant amount: up to $10,000 for one-year projects
Advanced:
- Support for eligible organizations with established military-related non-clinical arts engagement programming
- Cost-share/matching grant amounts: $10,000 – $25,000 for one-year projects or up to $50,000 for two-year projects
Projects will require at least one partner and be led by or include at least one organization with a history of creative or artistic programming. Partnerships among arts organizations and veteran and military service organizations are highly encouraged. Learn more about building partnerships in the upcoming webinar on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET. Register today for Creative Collaborations: Unlocking the Power of Community Arts Partnerships
The NEA has funded more than 100 Creative Forces Community Engagement grant projects nationwide in the past three years. Projects benefit active-duty service members, guardsmen, reservists, veterans, military and veteran families, as well as caregivers and healthcare workers who provide care for military service members and veterans. Learn more about current and previous grant recipients on the Creative Forces National Resources Center.
