Connecting military communities through the arts

Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network began in 2012 as an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs and is managed in partnership with Americans for the Arts, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Creative Forces seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers, by increasing knowledge of and access to clinical creative arts therapies and community arts engagement. Since 2017, Creative Forces has invested in community arts engagement projects in order to advance understanding of the benefits and impacts for military-connected populations who have been exposed to trauma. More information, including project descriptions and research reports on existing Creative Forces clinical and community programming, can be found on the Creative Forces National Resource Center.

These Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants are intended to support non-clinical arts engagement programs taking place in healthcare, community, or virtual settings. Creative Forces-supported community programs have involved a range of arts activities, including visual, written, and performing arts offered through single events, drop-in programs, and ongoing engagement led by artists in residence, teaching artists, or creative arts therapists.

Matching grant awards of $10,000–$50,000 will be awarded to approximately 35 applicants to support projects that engage targeted military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making. M-AAA encourages applications from a variety of eligible organizations, e.g., with small, medium, or large budgets, and from rural to urban communities. Applications may be submitted in one of the two tiers, emerging and advanced (see descriptions below), as designated by the applicant and further substantiated by M-AAA staff.

Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program projects should engage military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making with one or more of the following participant outcomes in mind:

• Creative Expression: Participants have a better understanding of themselves and others by creating or engaging with art.
• Social Connectedness: Participants have supportive relationships in their life and a sense of belonging to a community.
• Resilience: Participants feel they can rebound from stress, unexpected events, or life’s challenges.
• Independence and successful adaptation to civilian life: Participants have both an individual and shared sense of purpose, as well a positive self-worth, that supports adapting and readjusting to civilian life.

This grant program also seeks to advance the capacity of the applicant and its partner(s) in one or more of the following ways:

• Networked Organization: Grantees build networks and partnerships that support the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs for participants leading to stronger outcomes for participants.
• Strengthened Capacity: Grantees build their capacity to design, implement, and evaluate programs that meet the need of participants
• Increased Value of the Arts: Grantee partnerships and activities lead to an increased understanding of the value and impact of the arts across local participating networks and communities.

The Applicant Organization must:

1. be a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3, U.S. organization, a unit of state or local government, or a federally recognized tribal community or tribe located in the U.S. (including the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories as well as the Native nations that share that geography);

2. have either a minimum of three years’ experience:

• programming for/with military communities or
• presenting/producing arts-based projects;

3. have completed a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline. Programming is not required to have taken place during consecutive years. If your programming was affected or suspended due to COVID-19, you may reference 2020 or 2021 programming that was canceled or reimagined due to the pandemic. Virtual programming, planning, and COVID-19 recovery activities are considered to be programming. You may also choose to list arts programming from a recent year other than 2020 or 2021. For the purpose of defining eligibility, “three-year history” refers to when an organization began its programming and not when it incorporated or received nonprofit, tax-exempt status;

4. compensate all professional artists or supporting professional personnel at no less than the prevailing minimum compensation in accordance with Part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

5. apply directly on their own behalf. Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed;

6. have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), created in the System for Award Management [SAM.gov],

7. be in good standing with M-AAA, the NEA, and all other federal agencies, with no delinquent reports and/or grant documents;

8. commit to M-AAA’s Grantee Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Disbarment Policy; and

9. agree to acknowledge M-AAA and the NEA in all programs and press materials related to the project if funded.

The following types of organizations are not eligible to apply:

• Organizations whose primary purpose is to channel resources (financial, human, or other) to an affiliated organization if the affiliated organization submits its own application. This prohibition applies even if each organization has its own 501(c)3 status. For example, the “Friends of ABC Museum” may not apply if the ABC Museum applies. Furthermore, academic departments of colleges and universities are not eligible to apply, but the department’s parent institution is eligible, and
• State and jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) and Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs) are not eligible to apply or serve as partners in Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program projects.

1. The emerging grant tier is for the development and implementation of new or emerging non-clinical arts engagement programs for targeted military-connected populations or for small organizations providing non-clinical arts engagement opportunities for targeted military-connected populations. This baseline tier allows for projects that work toward one or more of the following:
   • identifying needs in the local targeted military-connected community,
   • establishing partnerships,
   • establishing referral/recommendation processes,
   • building an understanding of military culture,
   • building community and military understanding of the value of arts engagement,
   • building organizational capacity for effective implementation of future programming,
   • planning for post-grant sustainability of a project, and
   • implementation of a non-clinical arts engagement project for a targeted military-connected population. (See community engagement project requirements below.)

   2. The maximum grant amount is $10,000 for a project that must be completed within the course of one year to be implemented on or after July 1, 2025, and concluded on or before June 30, 2026.

   3. The project must serve at least one of the following populations within the military-connected community:

   • Active-duty service members from any branch of the military
   • Guardsmen and/or Reservists
   • Veterans
   • Military-connected family members
   • Military Caregivers (family, residential and clinical) and/or
   • Health care workers serving military-connected populations

   4. The project must include at least one partner who provides resources to help advance or support the project. Partner types include but are not limited to:

   • Arts organizations of any discipline
   • Individuals: artists or non-artists
   • Department of Defense facilities/Veterans Affairs clinics/Vet Centers/other
   • Non-profit organizations
   • University/College
   • For-profit organizations
   • Social service organizations
   • Veteran/military assistance agencies or organizations
   • Website/technology organization

   5. The project must be led by or partner with at least one organization or individual that has a history of creative/artistic programming.

   6. The project must actively include the perspective of one or more of the local members of the targeted military-connected groups that the project intends to serve. This perspective should be clearly indicated in the project design, planning, and implementation.

   7. The project must have a budget that reflects a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar match for the grant amount requested. This may be a combination of cash or in-kind contributions so all funding, procured or pending, should be included in the budget. Federal and other M-AAA grant funding procured or pending for the project must be included in the budget. Federal funding cannot be used to meet the 1:1 match requirement. Indirect costs, debt repayment, trusts, endowment funds, or investments, fundraising activities, lobbying, capital outlay including construction projects, purchase or renovation of facilities, and expenses associated with the project’s opening or closing (e.g., receptions) are not allowable expenses in the project budget.

   8. The project must be accessible to people with disabilities. Funded activities must be held in a physically or virtually accessible venue and program access and effective communication must be provided for participants and audience members with disabilities. The NEA has resources to assist organizations in making accommodations. Visit the NEA website for more information.

   9. Grant recipients in the emerging tier are expected to participate in a robust structure of technical assistance provided by Creative Forces and M-AAA to facilitate project-level capacity building, including for monitoring, evaluation, and learning and data collection as it relates to provide services to program serving the military-connected population and support for the development of a project logic model and theory of change.

   10. If selected, the organization must agree to comply with any administrative requirements contained in the grant agreement.

   11. While these activities can be informed by medical knowledge, practice, or theory, support from this grant program cannot include direct involvement with medical research, clinical therapy, or treatment delivery, or involve Protected Health Information, including any associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Further, funds from this grant program shall not support studies that include systematic investigations, including research and development, testing, or evaluation; or research studies designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Examples include activities that require asking program participants to provide sensitive and/or confidential information about themselves, and/or that involve systematic studies to assess a program’s benefits for participants.

1. The advanced grant tier provides support to organizations for established community-based arts engagement and/or non-clinical arts engagement projects for targeted military-connected populations. Applicants in this tier must provide:
   • Details on the implementation of the project that can be utilized to construct a logic model during the grant period of performance. The logic model elements include a Goal Statement Inputs/Resources, Strategies/Activities,  and Products/Outputs, Outcomes, and Assumptions/Rationale. Technical Assistance on the development of a logic model and theory of change will be provided by Creative Forces and M-AAA during the grant period of performance.
   • Evidence of military cultural competency demonstrated by either the applicant or key partner (for example previous successful military programming, formal partnerships with military or veteran-connected service organizations, military background of key staff or consultants, documented training, etc.) and documented training.
   • Demonstrate an understanding of how the project activities are aligned with and will support the desired participant and organizational aims and outcomes.

   2. Advanced grant tier grants up to $25,000 are available for projects implemented on or after July 1, 2025 and concluded on or before June 30, 2026. Projects that take place over the course of two years are to be implemented on or after July 1, 2025, and concluded on or before June 30, 2027. The maximum grant amount for a two-year Advanced Project is $50,000.

   3. The project must serve at least one of the following populations within the military-connected community:

   • Active-duty service members from any branch of the military
   • Guardsmen and/or Reservists
   • Veterans
   • Military-connected family members
   • Military Caregivers (family, residential and clinical) and/or
   • Health care workers serving military-connected populations

   4. The project must include at least one partner who provides resources to help advance or support the project. Partner types include but are not limited to:

   • Arts organizations of any discipline
   • Individuals: artists or non-artists
   • Department of Defense facilities/Veterans Affairs clinics/Vet Centers/other
   • Non-profit organizations
   • University/College
   • For-profit organizations
   • Social service organizations
   • Veteran/military assistance agencies or organizations
   • Website/technology organization

   5. The project must be led by or partner with at least one organization or individual that has a history of creative/artistic programming.

   6. The project must actively include the perspective of one or more of the local members of the targeted military-connected groups that the project intends to serve. This perspective should be clearly indicated in the project design, planning, and implementation.

   7. The project must have a budget that reflects a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar match for the grant amount requested. This may be a combination of cash or in-kind contributions so all funding, procured or pending, should be included in the budget. Federal and other M-AAA grant funding procured or pending for the project must be included in the budget. Federal funding cannot be used to meet the 1:1 match requirement. Indirect costs, debt repayment, trusts, endowment funds, or investments, fundraising activities, lobbying, capital outlay including construction projects, purchase or renovation of facilities, and expenses associated with the project’s opening or closing (e.g., receptions) are not allowable expenses in the project budget.

   8. The project must be accessible to people with disabilities. Funded activities must be held in a physically or virtually accessible venue and program access and effective communication must be provided for participants and audience members with disabilities. The NEA has resources to assist organizations in making accommodations. Visit the NEA website for more information.

   9. Grant recipients in the advanced tier are expected to participate in technical assistance provided by Creative Forces and M-AAA focused on performance measurement, evaluation for continuous process improvement, and outcomes measurement, excluding the measurement of individual-level outcomes. Submitting a logic model incorporating adaptations/lessons learned to M-AAA at the conclusion of the grant period is required.

   10. If selected, the organization must agree to comply with any administrative requirements contained in the grant agreement.

   11. While these activities can be informed by medical knowledge, practice, or theory, support from this grant program cannot include direct involvement with medical research, clinical therapy, or treatment delivery, or involve Protected Health Information, including any associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Further, funds from this grant program shall not support studies that include systematic investigations, including research and development, testing, or evaluation; or research studies designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Examples include activities that require asking program participants to provide sensitive and/or confidential information about themselves, and/or that involve systematic studies to assess a program’s benefits for participants.

The following guidelines for community engagement projects were developed based on existing community engagement research. This research, as well as descriptions of existing community engagement partnerships and program models, can be found on the Creative Forces National Resource Center website.

1. Project Types

Eligible types of Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program projects include, but are not limited to:

• Military/veteran family, and caregiver support.
• Apprenticeship/internship/residency
• Arts instruction
• Creation of a work of art
• Concert/performance or exhibition
• Recording/filming/taping

The following types of project activities and/or expenses are not eligible for consideration:

• Primary data collection or research based on participant experiences which require an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Additional information on the types of activities that require an Institutional Review Board can be found here.
• Lobbying
• Sub-granting or re-granting
• Facility construction, purchases, or renovation
• Receptions, parties, or galas
• Courses in degree-granting institutions
• Commercial or for-profit enterprises
• Gifts, awards, or prizes

2. Project Service Delivery Models

Eligible Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program projects can be offered free of charge or require a participation/admission fee and can be implemented through a single or combination of service delivery models which include, but are not limited to:

• In-person or virtual classes that meet regularly for a distinct scheduled period of time
• “Drop-in” style programs where no reservation/or enrollment is required and programming is offered on a recurring bases over an extended period of time
• Participant cohort performance or exhibition showcasing the cohort’s work
• Community or network building
• A single event attended once by participants

3. Project Creative Arts Disciplines

Eligible Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program projects are not discipline specific. They may span one or more creative disciplines including, but not limited to:

• Crafts (Clay, Fiber, Glass, Leather, Metal, Mixed Media, Paper, Plastic, Wood)
• Dance/movement (Ballet, Ethnic, Jazz, Tribal, Modern)
• Design Arts (Architecture, Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, Interior, Urban/Metropolitan)
• Folk/Traditional Arts (Crafts, Visual Arts, Dance)
• Humanities (Facilitated conversations, compilation of historical documentation, preservation of history)
• Literature (Fiction, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry)
• Media arts (Film Arts, Film Audio, Film Technology/Experiments, Film Video, Podcasts)
• Music (Band, Chamber, Ethnic, Jazz, New, Orchestral, Popular, Solo/Recital, Song Writing)
• Music Theatre/Opera (Musicals, Opera)
• Oral Traditions (Spoken Word, Stand-up Comedy, Storytelling)
• Theater (Mime, Puppet, Young Audiences, General)
• Visual Arts (Collage, Experimental, Graphics, Multimedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture)

This list is not comprehensive. Please contact M-AAA staff with questions regarding a specific art discipline that is not listed above.

If selected, the organization will enter into a grant agreement with Mid-America Arts Alliance. The agreement will outline the terms and conditions, including Federal regulations and project and crediting requirements of the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program award.

Grantees must comply with all requirements as stipulated in the grant agreement, including, but not limited to the following:

• Grantees are required to carry out activities consistent with the original application as approved for funding.
• Changes to funded activities must be proposed in advance and require prior written approval from M-AAA staff. Requests for changes are considered on a case-by-case basis; approval is not guaranteed.
• Participate in any Creative Forces Capacity Building and Technical Assistance cohort meetings and convenings. This may include but is not limited to peer-to-peer mentorship opportunities, as well as data evaluation and logic model workshops. Travel support will be provided by NEA and M-AAA.
• Use of the M-AAA and NEA logos/wordmarks, as laid out in the Creative Forces Branding Guide, on all printed, electronic materials, and websites (program, catalogs, postcards, posters, newsletters, leaflets, publication, etc.) that specifically reference the project.
• Complete an online final report form summarizing grant-funded activities and accomplishments at the end of the project activity period or at the end of the period of support, whichever occurs first.
• Grant recipients must comply with the Federal policies and legal requirements, statutes, and regulations as stated in M-AAA’s Assurance of Compliance.
• Grant recipients are required to make accommodations upon request for constituents with disabilities at grant-funded activities. The National Endowment for the Arts has resources to assist arts organizations in making accommodations.
• Grant recipients must compensate all professional performers and related or supporting professional personnel at no less than the prevailing minimum rate of compensation. This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Part 505 does not provide information on specific compensation levels. Applicants will cite references used in establishing equitable compensation rates.
• Grant awards are considered income. Grant recipients are responsible for all tax obligations under federal, state, and local laws. M-AAA recommends that all recipients consult a tax accountant or local Internal Revenue Service office with questions or concerns regarding deductions and reporting.
• Grant recipients who fail to properly acknowledge M-AAA and the National Endowment for the Arts’ support in programs and press materials for the supported project may not be considered for future funding opportunities.
• All changes to a project must be submitted in writing to M-AAA before the activity takes place. Awards may be revised or revoked in light of such changes. A reduction in artist fees may result in the reduction or cancellation of the grant.

For information on terminology, please visit the Creative Forces glossary.

An application will be deemed ineligible by M-AAA staff if it is incomplete at the time of submission or does not meet the applicant or project eligibility requirements. Ineligible applicants will be notified by M-AAA with the rationale to help the applicant adapt for future submissions.

If deemed eligible for consideration, applications are evaluated by an independent review panel on the basis of artistic merit and artistic excellence:

Artistic Merit

• Project Design: The project plan indicates a well-defined relevant and necessary partnership, a realistic timeline, an appropriate budget, clear artistic and community-based objectives, achievable goals, and adequate risk management. For the advanced tier, the application indicates methods to recruit targeted military-connected participants.
• Project Management: The ability of the applicant to implement the proposed project is clearly demonstrated by the qualifications of the project team, viability of the project budget, and overall fiscal and managerial health of the applicant and partnering organizations, including demonstrated capacity to partner with organizations or individuals that have relevant connections to the military, ability to provide or adapt programming to reach military, and the adaptability of the programming to the practical barriers of partnering with the military. Administrative capacity to complete the project, including appropriate paid and volunteer staff, and leadership is demonstrated in financial planning, which includes, proven fiscal responsibility; and appropriate financial resources as evidenced in the budget.
• Equity and Accessibility: The application reflects fair practices to access resources and an inclusive approach to the communities to be served in the representation, participation, and creation of services. The application reflects evidence that funded project services, information, and facilities, where funded activities are to take place, will be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including but not limited to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, have difficulty speaking, have a physical disability including those that require the use of wheelchairs or prosthetics, visual disability, developmental disability, learning disability, mental illness, or chronic illness.

Artistic Excellence

• Project Leadership: Individuals or arts organizations involved in the project design and execution demonstrate skills, expertise, and experiences that are central to the goals of the project. This includes the qualifications of teaching artists, staff, or personnel and their experience working with the military as appropriate to the project and application tier, the context of the programming, the intent to introduce creativity to targeted military-connected individuals, and the frequency of contact with that population through the project.
• Community Impact: The application demonstrates project reach and/or depth of engagement in a defined geographic and/or affinity-based community and military cultural competency in accordance with the identified project goals and grant tier. The project is responsive to the community to be served and not duplicative of existing programming within the community. Project execution and evaluation involve community participation in accordance with the identified program goals and project requirements. Participants and communities served, including geographic and demographic characteristics, and accessibility for individuals with disabilities is clearly described.
• Overall Grant Program and Project Alignment: How well the proposed project aligns with the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program objectives to promote the health, well-being, and overall quality of life of military-connected individuals by understanding their needs and providing access to community arts experiences.

Panel Adjudication and Ranking Scale

Eligible applications will be reviewed by an independent review panel consisting of arts professionals, including artists and creative arts therapists, targeted military-connected individuals, and laypersons, who reflect a wide geographic, ethnic, and minority representation as well as diverse aesthetic and cultural points of view.

Panelists reviewing applications will use the following 6-point scale for each of the grant criteria:

6 – Exemplary: fully achieves the stated criteria. Meets ALL of the review criteria requirements to the highest degree.

5 – Strong: strongly achieves the stated criteria. Meets all the review criteria requirements to a significant degree.

4 – Good: sufficiently achieves the stated criteria. Meets all of the review criteria requirements to some degree.

3 – Fair: Moderately achieves the stated criteria. Meets most of the review requirements.

2 – Marginal: Minimally achieves the stated criteria. Meets some of the review requirements.

1 – Weak: Does not achieve the stated criteria. Inadequately meets the review requirements.

Appeals Process 

Applicants can request a review of the method for M-AAA’s decisions concerning grant applications through the appeals process. Dissatisfaction with the denial or amount of an award is not sufficient reason for an appeal.

An applicant not funded may appeal M-AAA’s decision if the applicant can demonstrate that the application was rejected for any of the following reasons:

a. Application was reviewed using criteria other than those published;

b. Award decision was influenced by panelist/staff/committee member who failed to disclose conflict of interest; and/or

c. Application materials (submitted by the deadline) were not provided to panelists/staff/committee members.

To appeal a grant determination, first, contact the M-AAA Director of Arts and Humanities Grant Programs to review considerations affecting the decision. If you believe that you have grounds for an appeal, you must submit your appeal, in writing or by email, to M-AAA’s President and CEO, no later than 15 calendar days following the receipt of the notice from M-AAA. The submission should contain evidence to support one or more of the allowable grounds for appeal. The decision on an appeal will be made by the President and CEO, who will render a decision within 30 days of the appeal. Email or mail your appeal to M-AAA, 2018 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City MO 64108, ATTN. President and CEO.

How to Apply and Application-at-a-Glance

Creative Forces Grant Application Portal

Grant Guidelines

Application Assistance—Accessibility Accommodations

Mid-America Arts Alliance strives to provide accessibility services and accommodation solutions to ensure that people of all abilities are included. M-AAA staff is available to assist with adapting our typical processes to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to apply.

Application Assistance 

M-AAA staff is available to offer guidance and clarification in preparing your application. We recommend that you contact staff well in advance of the deadline to ensure you can be accommodated in a timely manner.

Review the Grant Guidelines and use the Application-at-a-Glance and the Budget Template to prepare your responses. Data typed in the online form can be saved for editing later by clicking “Save my progress and resume later” at the top or bottom of the application form webpage. Each time you save your application you will be asked for an email address and a password which can remain the same or change as often as you see fit. Each time you save your application you will be sent an email with new instructions on how to resume your draft application. To resume the most recent version of your application, refer to the most recent email in your inbox.

While draft applications can be saved, online technology is not always reliable, so we strongly recommend you prepare your narrative responses in a separate document to ensure you have a backup for reference as you proceed. Please add a space between paragraphs in narrative fields for clarity and ease of reading by staff and panelists.

For more information on how to fill out the application form, you may watch this Creative Forces Grant Application Walkthrough Video, Grant Guidelines Informational Webinar Video, and here are Five Helpful Tips for Applying.

Mid-America Arts Alliance will only consider applications submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. We urge you to submit your application early to ensure your materials are properly received. The application platform may experience slower processing times when user traffic is higher as the deadline nears. As the deadline has passed, the application form has closed.

If you have difficulty saving documents as PDF, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft Excel, please contact M-AAA staff at creativeforces@maaa.org.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program or these guidelines contact Matt Aelmore, Grant Programs Coordinator, by email: creativeforces@maaa.org.

Do you have questions? We are here to help.

For more information on how to fill out the application form, you can watch this Grant Guidelines Informational Webinar Video and Creative Forces Grant Application Walkthrough Video.

Many questions related to the guidelines may be found via this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

Grant Office Hours
To schedule an appointment with Creative Forces grant staff, click here to schedule a Zoom meeting.

For additional questions, please email creativeforces@maaa.org.