Arts, Health & Well-being Pilot Program - State Arts Agencies

Arts, Health, and Well-being: Advancing Social Connection and Belonging through the Arts

A new pilot program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will support the integration of arts and culture into strategies that aim to strengthen belonging and social connection as a dimension of improved health and well-being of individuals and communities. Funding of $5 million for this program was announced on January 30, 2024, by NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson at “Healing, Bridging, Thriving: A Summit on Arts and Culture in our Communities,” an event co-hosted by the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Endowment for the Arts.

This pilot is part of a broader portfolio of programs that advance NEA’s goal from its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan of integrating the arts with strategies that promote the well-being and resilience of people and communities. Specifically, this pilot will emphasize the following areas:

  • addressing social connection, belonging, and mental health through arts-driven strategies;
  • demonstrating how artists can serve as health ambassadors and help foster connection;
  • supporting communities in building resilience and healing from collective experiences of trauma, such as that related to natural or man-made disasters, pervasive systemic exclusion, or substance use disorder; and
  • supporting field building for advancing social connection and belonging through the arts.

In addition, this program will facilitate cross-sector partnerships and networks of learning in support of this work, building a body of evidence that documents the impact of arts and culture in strengthening social connection and belonging. The pilot will also help communities to build greater civic capacity for supporting social connection and belonging through the arts in ways that both help to heal and prevent trauma.

Background: The Epidemic of Loneliness and Social Isolation

Belonging and social connection are increasingly recognized as vital to health and well-being. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy has issued an advisory warning of an epidemic of loneliness and social isolation that threatens health and well-being of individuals and communities in this country. The Advisory states, “social connection is vital not only to our individual physical, mental, and emotional health, but also to the health and well-being of our communities.” At the individual level, in addition to negative physical health consequences, loneliness and isolation contribute to mental health challenges. For communities, cumulative evidence generally indicates, “higher levels of social connectedness suggest better community outcomes, while lower levels of social connectedness suggest worse outcomes.” Today, millions of Americans lack adequate social connection in one or more ways, making the health and societal impacts of social isolation and loneliness a critical public health concern.

At the Healing, Bridging, Thriving Summit, the Surgeon General stated, “The arts are medicine, and the arts are a source of healing. And that’s why they deserve prioritization and investment, and they deserve our attention as we think about how to address this loneliness epidemic.” Further, the Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience, which “lays out a government-wide approach to strengthen the conditions necessary for improving individual and community resilience and well-being nationwide,” states, “the arts are part of a healthy life, contributing to greater social cohesion, health equity, and community wellbeing,” and can “facilitate robust dialogue, identity, and connection, and provide platforms to build stronger communication and connectiveness within and across groups.”

Partnership Agreement Grants to State and Jurisdictional Arts Agencies

The Surgeon General’s advisory calls for a whole-of-society approach for increasing and strengthening social connection and includes recommendations for all levels of government. As a key component of the of the Arts, Health and Well-being pilot program, state and jurisdictional arts agencies can apply for funds to advance, deepen, and/or expand work at the state level in driving belonging and social connection, or to initiate new exploratory work or a demonstration project. Ultimately, these projects will contribute to overall health and well-being for individuals and communities. Supported project activities may include:

  • building new or expanding existing programs at the intersection of arts, health, and well-being, with a focus on social connection and belonging;
  • activities that deepen connection between state and jurisdictional arts agencies and other sectors, such as public health;
  • hosting state or regional conversations/convenings that initiate or strengthen cross sector partnerships between arts and health sectors; and
  • strategic planning, research, evaluation, and learning activities; including field scans, needs assessments, or learning communities.
    Supported project activities will begin in July 2025.

Complementary Arts, Health, and Well-Being Pilot Program Activities

In addition to funding to state and jurisdictional arts agencies, the NEA’s Arts, Health, & Well-being Pilot program will include grants to support demonstration projects that showcase local arts and cultural approaches for addressing connection and belonging. Additionally, a suite of learning, networking, and documentation activities will ensure diverse grantee approaches to the work are documented, promising practices are identified, and inspiring models are made accessible to the broader field. Public educational programs and resources will increase awareness and understanding of the unique role of arts and culture can play as part of health strategies to address social connection and belonging for improved health and well-being.

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Key terms from the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation and the Federal Plan for Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience

Belonging: A fundamental human need—the feeling of deep connection with social groups, physical places,and individual and collective experiences.

Loneliness: A subjective distressing experience that results from perceived isolation or inadequate meaningful connections, where inadequate refers to the discrepancy or unmet need between an individual’s preferred and actual experience.

Health: Health encompasses many aspects, including physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. The World Health Organization also notes that health is “not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Social Connectedness: The degree to which any individual or population might fall along the continuum of achieving social connection needs.

Social Connection: A continuum of the size and diversity of one’s social network and roles, the functions these relationships serve, and their positive or negative qualities

Social Infrastructure: The programs (such as volunteer organizations, sports groups, religious groups, and member associations), policies (like public transportation, housing, and education), and physical elements of a community (such as libraries, parks, green spaces, and playgrounds) that support the development of social connection.

Social Isolation: Objectively having few social relationships, social roles, group memberships, and infrequent social interaction.

Well-being: Well-being is the presence of positive emotions and moods, the absence of negative emotions, satisfaction with life, fulfillment, and positive functioning. Types can include, but are not limited to, physical, economic, social, and emotional well-being. The term can also refer to entire communities, in addition to individuals.