The Arts in Health Project Grant is offered by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA) for the fiscal year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, with project activities allowed between August 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026. This funding opportunity supports projects that utilize the arts to address individual healing and public health issues through community-based engagement and professional artistic practices. NHSCA recognizes that the arts enhance physical, cognitive, and social-emotional aspects of healing and improve public health by fostering empathy, awareness, and social cohesion. There are two grant tracks: the Health & Healing Track, which focuses on non-clinical arts engagement for individuals, and the Public Health Track, which supports arts-based initiatives that address community-wide health concerns.

Applicants may request between $1,000 and $8,000. While the usual matching requirement has been waived for FY2026, the NHSCA encourages applicants to include cash or in-kind match to strengthen proposals. Eligible applicants include New Hampshire-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits, state and local government agencies, healthcare institutions, educational institutions, correctional facilities, and social service agencies. Organizations based in Maine, Vermont, or Massachusetts may be eligible if they are within 50 miles of the NH border, primarily serve NH residents, and have strong board representation from NH.

Applicants must propose projects that clearly identify and address a health-related need, incorporate direct artist participation, and ensure accessibility and engagement for underserved or marginalized populations. Ineligible expenses include fundraising, lobbying, capital projects, staff salaries not directly related to the project, food and beverages, and therapeutic or clinical treatments. The focus of the program is on creating healing environments and meaningful artistic experiences, not therapy or commercial ventures.

Applications must be submitted through Submittable by 11:59 pm EST on May 2, 2025. Drafts can be emailed directly to the grant coordinator for feedback at least two weeks in advance. Required uploads include narrative responses, budgets, project work plans, financial statements, resumes of project leaders and artists, partner letters of support, work samples, and an NEA accessibility checklist. Evaluations are conducted by a panel of experts and may take up to ten weeks for final decision and notification.

The application will be evaluated based on artistic quality, accessibility and engagement, administrative capacity, and methods for measuring impact. Funded applicants must submit a final report no later than November 30, 2026 or 30 days after project completion, whichever comes first. Failing to meet reporting requirements can lead to ineligibility for future funding. NHSCA retains the right to review and approve all changes to funded projects and requires awardees to maintain financial and program records for four years.

For questions about the program, applicants can contact Emily Killinger, the Arts in Health Program Coordinator and Accessibility Coordinator, at Emily.R.Killinger@dncr.nh.gov or 603-271-0790. Technical support for Submittable is available via support@submittable.com.