Alaska: Arts, Health and Well-Being Program

Anchorage Concert Association’s Community Cafe, an NEA Creative Forces grant recipient. Photo courtesy of Alaska State Council of the Arts

In 2024, the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) launched a new pilot program, Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska. Recognizing the beneficial relationship between the arts and improving community health outcomes, the program will award as many grants as possible to back community based creative projects that integrate the arts to enhance health and well-being of Alaskans. With funding support from Rasmuson Foundation, Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska will grant up to $6,000 for individual grantees and up to $20,000 for organizational grantees.

The program seeks to understand more precisely the ways the arts can improve health and wellness across communities. Projects will include those that explore how the arts can:

reduce risks to health and safety and bolster protective factors in order to improve physical, mental and behavioral health;
catalyze creative partnerships focused on public health;
engage community members to address social isolation and foster connection;
better serve those experiencing disability or other potential health risks;
further our understanding of multiple dimensions of health, wellness and quality of life.

ASCA is prioritizing projects that address the experiences of Alaskan youth and elders, address isolation and disconnectedness (a critical issue for many rural communities), and support those experiencing stress or burnout when caring for others. Adjudication criteria include:

involvement of artists and culture bearers as key leaders
specificity in the populations to be served
a clear plan for engaging Alaskans in healthy activities or dialogue about health and well-being
the presence of safeguarding practices appropriate to maintaining safety for vulnerable populations
a clear and feasible project plan and budget, including compensation to artists

Awards do not require a match. For the inaugural round of applications, the agency received three times the volume initially anticipated. This suggests a strong demand for arts and health programs in Alaskan communities. ASCA is hopeful that the applicants and awardees of this pilot are creating a body of work that may inform convening, learning, discussion and cross-sector partnerships in the future.

Read about more state arts agency strategies for arts and health in NASAA’s Cross-Sector Strategies for Health and Community Well-Being Strategy Sampler. For more information about ASCA’s Arts, Health and Well-Being program, contact Arts Education Program Director Laura Forbes.