Creative Forces Supports Community Arts Engagement Projects for Military-Connected People

Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, is pleased to announce the 2025 Creative Forces® Community Engagement grant recipients. Forty-eight organizations have been awarded grants totaling more than $886,000. These community-based arts projects aim to address the experiences, challenges, and strengths of our military communities. View the list of recipients and projects on maaa.org/CreativeForces.

“As our nation commemorates the 250th birthdays of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps this year, the National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to continue our support of arts engagement projects that enrich the lives of those who have served our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, senior advisor for the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Through the Creative Forces Community Engagement grants, hundreds of thousands of veterans, active military members, and caregivers have developed creative skills, tapped into their personal resolve, and deepened their resilience,” says Todd Stein, president and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance. “These grants and their projects underscore the essential role of the arts in strengthening people and the communities they call home."

Arts engagement and non-clinical arts programming can help improve the well-being and resilience of military-connected people and support successful life transitions. Examples of projects supported include:

• 23rd Veteran in Duluth, Minnesota, in partnership with Minnesota North College, will take its Forge Building program to Eveleth, a rural area on Minnesota's Iron Range where veterans and active military will have the chance to learn the art of blacksmithing and learn how to build their own propane forge, allowing participants to continue the craft of blacksmithing at home. The program is designed to foster resilience, strengthen community ties, and facilitate the transition to civilian life through creative engagement.
• City of Mesa in Arizona, along with Mesa United Way, will provide free hands-on studio art classes for veterans and service members through the Mesa Arts Center Arts in Service program. These sessions will focus on various art forms such as welding, ceramics, printmaking, and more, aiming to support skill-building, relationship-building, resiliency, and wellness among participants.
• Edmond Historical Society and Museum in Edmond, Oklahoma, will perform two live shows in the style of “Old Time Radio.” The USO-style show will feature an actor portraying Bob Hope, entertaining the audience with comedy and live 1940s music. A Radio Theater Workshop will teach military members the history of Old Time Radio and offer performance practice opportunities and a Western-themed show will invite workshop attendees to participate as actors, musicians, stagehands, or sound effects technicians. The intent is to welcome military members and veterans to use or try performing skills.
• Hope Creates in St. Louis, Missouri, will lead its signature Make Your M.A.R.C. (Music. Art. Recovery. Connection.) program for veterans recovering from or at risk of substance use disorder. With a focus on technical skill-building and meaningful artistic engagement that includes music performance, visual arts techniques, and storytelling, the program aims to provide veterans with lifelong tools to manage stress, anxiety, and personal challenges.
   

About Creative Forces 

Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs that seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers. 

Since 2022, the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program has supported 149 projects across 38 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to Community Engagement grants, Creative Forces’ Clinical Program brings creative arts therapies to military patients and veterans who are receiving care at Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs facilities across the nation. Creative Forces is managed in partnership with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine and Mid-America Arts Alliance. More information can be found at arts.gov/CreativeForces.