arts in health project grants

The Arts in Health project grant category responds to the Arts Council’s recognition that arts and culture facilitate the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional aspects of individual healing, and that when applied to public health, promote healthy environments and policies in communities by fostering empathy, awareness, and social cohesion through shared narrative and aesthetic experiences. This category is designed in response to the Arts Council’s commitment to meet the needs of underserved populations, which can include the elderly, people with disabilities, people in recovery, incarcerated individuals, and people with mental health or other acute or chronic health diagnoses.

The Arts in Health project grant offers two tracks* as described below. The Health & Healing Track supports non-clinical arts engagement that promotes and facilitates individual health and healing through participatory arts programs or artist residencies as a primary focus of the project. Arts activities may occur in health-based or community spaces and may incorporate professional development components for health care staff. The goal of the Health & Healing Track is to utilize the arts to enhance quality of life and promote environments conducive to healing for patients, facility residents/clients, caregivers, and health care staff.

The Public Health Track supports arts activities that provide a public health benefit in New Hampshire communities as a primary focus of the project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to collaborate with public health agencies and/or health or social service organizations, and/or to embed experts in related health fields into their projects. Arts activities may occur in health-based or community spaces and may also directly or indirectly engage people who are affected by the identified public health priority. The goals of the Public Health Track are to utilize the arts to generate awareness of social and structural determinants of health; encourage and promote health as a topic of public discourse; promote the arts and artists as partners in health-related strategies; and to build healthy communities for all New Hampshire citizens.