Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska

The Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska program supports creative projects that use the arts to improve health, reduce risk, and strengthen community connections through partnerships between artists, organizations, and the health sector.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This program is a pilot with a single application deadline, awarding grants to Organizations and Individuals for community-based and creative projects that integrate the arts to support the health and well-being of Alaskans. The impact of the arts on health and well-being can be seen at all stages of life, and the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) seeks proposals that will explore the practice of the arts, health and well-being in 2025. This pilot investment builds on previous granting and program development, including the Community Arts Partnership, Adaptation and Innovation, and Arts and Military programs of the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska is a program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, with funding support from Rasmuson Foundation. Arts and Health initiatives from the National Endowment for the Arts will inform the Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska
Alaska-based, 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, schools, units of state, local or tribal government proposing Arts, Health and Well-Being activities are eligible to apply with proposals to support existing, ongoing or new community-based arts projects and programs. Tribal governmental grantees are neither requested nor required to provide a waiver of sovereign immunity to apply for or receive grant funding from the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Eligible organizations may fiscally sponsor otherwise eligible community groups to apply. For more information about Fiscal Sponsorship, review our fiscal sponsorship resources.
Individual artists are eligible to apply with proposals to support the creation and presentation of work, or to implement community-based arts projects proposed in alignment with Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska activities.

A FEW RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR ARTS, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

The National Endowment for the Arts | Arts and Health: https://www.arts.gov/impact/arts-and-health
The National Endowment for the Arts Guide to Community-Engaged Research in the Arts and Health: https://www.arts.gov/impact/research/publications/national-endowment-arts-guide-community-engaged-research-arts-and-health
Shared Risk and Protective Factors Alaska | Center for Safer Alaskans: https://srpfalaska.org/
We-Making Resources | University of Florida – College of the Arts, Center for Arts in Medicine: https://www.response.arts.ufl.edu/we-making-framework
Americans for the Arts | Arts & Healing: https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/arts-and-healing
The Kennedy Center LEAD (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability): https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/networks-conferences-and-research/research-and-resources/lead-research-and-resources/

PROGRAM GOALS

The Arts Health and Well-Being in Alaska program is a pilot that will explore and expand upon efforts to support community in and through the arts. Successful proposals will align with one or more of the initial pilot goals:

To learn about the role of the arts in reducing risks to life and safety, and improving health and wellness, by collaborating with the health sector to enhance well-being across communities.
To support existing and new efforts to connect partners in arts, health and well-being through the creation and presentation of art works.
To engage citizens in conversations about social isolation and community connectedness in and through the arts.
To adapt arts practice and publicly accessible arts spaces to serve individuals and communities experiencing disability or other health risks that make it challenging to participate with others.
To explore the ways in which the arts have a role in implementing health and wellness knowledge. We seek to understand how the practice of the arts can reduce negative effects on health and safety (risk factors) and increase positive effects on health and safety (protective factors).

PROGRAM CONTACTS

Alaska State Council on the Arts, Arts Education Program Director: Laura Forbes, at laura.forbes@alaska.gov, (907) 269-6682
Alaska State Council on the Arts, Indigenous Arts and Culture Program Director: Patti Oksoktaruk Lillie, at patti.lillie@alaska.gov , (907) 269-7978
Alaska State Council on the Arts, Community Arts Program Director: Charlie Sears, at charles.sears@alaska.gov , (907) 269-6608

Alaska State Council on the Arts

161 Klevin Street, Suite 102 Anchorage, AK 99508-1506
Telephone: 907-269-6610 Toll-free: 1-888-278-7424
Fax: 907-269-6601 TTY: 1-800-770-8973
asca.info@alaska.gov