Oklahoma: Creative Aging Partnership Grants

Oklahoma City Ballet’s Golden Swans program. Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma Arts Council

The state of Oklahoma is positioning itself to address significant demographic shifts. The number of Oklahomans aged 65 and older grew by more than 43% between 2000 and 2020, necessitating new strategies for coordinating support systems and facilitating healthy aging for older adults.

To help the state respond to these emerging needs, the Oklahoma Arts Council launched its Creative Aging Initiative in 2021, through grant funding provided by NASAA and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy. The initiative equips Oklahoma communities to provide creative aging programming that promotes learning, social engagement and well-being for older adults. A mixture of grant funds, professional development opportunities and statewide convenings build capacity for creative aging services at the local level.

The program got a major boost in 2024 through a grant from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). The trust improves Oklahomans’ health and quality of life by investing in high-impact programs that reduce health risks for Oklahoma residents. Through the grant, the Arts Council was awarded $250,000 for this fiscal year, and the grant may be extended for up to a total of three years.

With those funds, the agency has created a new Creative Aging Partnership Grant program. Funded projects will engage older adults in lifelong arts learning programs, leverage the arts to improve health outcomes for older adults, and help Oklahomans age with dignity and meaningful social connections. Awards of up to $15,000 are available to nonprofit organizations; city, county, state and tribal governments; colleges and universities; and public library branches.

TSET funds will also help the Arts Council to expand a structured training program. Organizations that receive Creative Aging Partnership Grants will receive professional development through a three-day online Creative Aging Academy led by Lifetime Arts. Additional training opportunities will be provided through convenings for arts administrators, teaching artists, health and social service workers, and others interested in learning how to design and deliver high-quality creative aging programs in Oklahoma communities. For more information about creative aging services in Oklahoma, contact Oklahoma Arts Council Arts Learning in Communities Director Erika Wilhite.