Creative Aging Grants

Creative Aging grants support skill-based instruction alongside opportunities for social engagement and community building in and through the arts for older adults. Applicants to the Creative Aging grant program are non-profits with 501(c)(3) status, such as arts organizations, area agencies on aging, or social service organizations for example.

Organizations may apply for up to $4,000 to support activities designed for older adults aged 60+ led by experienced teaching artists.

Priority is given to projects led by Vermont artists. Applicants may engage artists on the Council’s Creative Aging Teaching Artist Roster. These are experienced teaching artists who have trained with Lifetime Arts to design creative aging programs that include skill-based instructional lessons and intentional social engagement opportunities. Applicants may submit proposals for projects led by teaching artists not on the roster. Teaching artist fees vary from artist to artist.

Example projects may include:

• hiring a teaching artist to lead a series of photography workshops in an assisted living facility
• hiring a teaching artist to lead remote workshops for older adults in their homes, supplying materials, providing opportunities for social engagement, and giving support to caregivers
• hiring teaching artists or mentors to work with older adults to capture and/or create a series stories or poems through a partnership with an agency serving older adults

The grants are part of the Vermont Arts Council’s Creative Aging Initiative, launched in 2021.