The National Endowment for the Arts has launched the next phase of Creative Forces® by funding Community Connections Projects at ten of its clinical sites. Each Project will develop site specific community-based arts programs that will use the creative and healing benefits of the arts to promote the health and wellness of service members and Veterans, as well as their families and caregivers.

“Serving our military who have served us honorably is a privilege for the National Endowment for the Arts,” said Acting NEA Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “By further understanding how the arts improve health and well-being, we will help enrich the lives of our military personnel and veterans around the nation.”

Each Community Connections Project has received $50,000 to create its own programming and materials. Projects will include documentation of progress and any training materials or publications generated will be placed in a future online Creative Forces® National Resource Center for others interested in developing their own arts and military programming. 

Creative Forces® sites hosting Community Connections projects are Anchorage, Alaska; San Diego County, California; Fort Carson and Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tampa, Florida; Bethesda, Maryland; Jacksonville, North Carolina; Killeen, Texas; Fort Belvoir and Portsmouth, Virginia; and Tacoma and Olympia, Washington. Project Descriptions can be found here.

Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and the state and local arts agencies that serve the special needs of military patients and veterans with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions, as well as their families and caregivers. Administrative support for Creative Forces is provided by Americans for the Arts.