Accessibility Statement

Program Goal

The Creative Forces® Community Engagement National Grants program aims to advance the health, well-being, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers through experiences of art or art making, support capacity building for the grantees, and contribute to the field through monitoring, evaluation and learning activities. The grant program supports community-based arts programming that will expand the work of Creative Forces into more communities nationwide to address the distinct experiences, challenges, and strengths of military-connected populations through the arts.

Rationale

  • There is a documented need for programs that improve health, well-being, and quality of life of service members, veterans, families, and caregivers, and community arts engagement programs have been shown to improve health and wellness. Observations from Creative Forces demonstration projects further suggest participation leads to improvement in creative expression, social connectedness, resilience, and independence and successful adaptation to civilian life. 
  • Coordination of partnerships among key organizations/individuals, including program participants, arts organizations, and military-connected services/providers, ensures lessons learned and best practices are disseminated to inform the field at large.
  • Investing in/providing support for capacity building in program model development and evaluation strengthens outcomes for participants of individual programs and the field in general, allows for evidenced-based program replication, increases the availability and quality of opportunities for participants, and ultimately improves participant outcomes.
  • A nationally coordinated program that brings together clinical and community partners will have greater impact for participants.
     

Program Management Objectives

1. Establish national grant program to support community-based community arts engagement for military-connected populations.
2. Support grantees to improve outcomes for military-connected participants.
3. Provide technical assistance and monitoring to maximize and document program implementation and outcomes.
4. Document the impact of community arts participation for military-connected populations. Program models and outcomes are shared for review, replication, and adaptation.

Inputs, Activities, and Outputs

Creative Forces provides infrastructure to the Community Engagement Grants program through grants administration and technical assistance and learning resources to grantees. Data on grantee implementation and participant feedback are collected and aggregated to expand learning resources and inform and improve technical assistance. Creative Forces also conducts periodic evaluations on program implementation and outcomes to assess program effectiveness. 

Impacts and Outcomes

 

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    National Impacts

    • Military-connected participants in Creative Forces community engagement programs have increased creative expression, social connectedness, resilience, and successfully adapt to civilian life.
    • Grantees become networked organizations, strengthen their capacity to effectively deliver programs, and grantees and partners have an increased understanding of the value and impact of the arts.

     

    National Outcomes

    Outcomes at the national level are divided into three areas: 

    1. Grantee Outcomes: 

    • Implementation: Grantees and partners support the design, implementation, and evaluation of community arts engagement programs based on local needs for military-connected populations.
    • Sustainability: Grantees sustain programs. Partners, practitioners, and communities support participation of military-connected populations in community arts engagement programs. 
    • Value of the Arts: Understanding of the value and impact of the arts for military-connected populations increases across local networks and communities. Military and civilian communities are more cohesive and connected, and there is multi-directional communication, understanding, and engagement among military-connected populations, communities, and partners.

    2. Monitoring and Evaluation Outcomes:

    • National-level program monitoring is ongoing and guides program improvement.
    • Grantee outcomes are supported by developing data collection and evaluation tools, and providing technical assistance in MEL.
    • Periodic evaluations assess program implementation and outcomes, and contribute to learning for the agency and the field. 

    3. Learning Outcomes: 

    • Rigorous evidence documents the impact of community arts participation for military-connected populations. Knowledge and resources grow through the learning community, advancing the field and supporting community arts engagement outcomes for military-connected populations. 
    • Agencies, organizations, practitioners, funders, and policymakers understand the value and impact of community arts engagement for military-connected populations, support programs and policies, become partners, and advocate for community arts engagement. 

    Participant Outcomes

    Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants projects should engage military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making with one or more of the following participant outcomes in mind:

    • Creative Expression: Participants have a better understanding of themselves and others by creating or engaging with art.
    • Social Connectedness: Participants have supportive relationships in their life and a sense of belonging to a community.
    • Resilience: Participants feel they can rebound from stress, unexpected events, or life’s challenges.
    • Independence and Successful Adaptation to Civilian Life: Participants have both an individual and shared sense of purpose, as well a positive self-worth, that supports adapting and readjusting to civilian life.

    Explore the National Logic Model

    The Creative Forces® Community Engagement Grants National Logic Model is interactive to show details for each of the elements and how they connect.  

    Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants projects should engage military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making with one or more of the following participant outcomes in mind:

    • Creative Expression: Participants have a better understanding of themselves and others by creating or engaging with art.
    • Social Connectedness: Participants have supportive relationships in their life and a sense of belonging to a community.
    • Resilience: Participants feel they can rebound from stress, unexpected events, or life’s challenges.
    • Independence and successful adaptation to civilian life: Participants have both an individual and shared sense of purpose, as well a positive self-worth, that supports adapting and readjusting to civilian life. 

    Click on each column below for additional information.

    Community Engagement Grant Program National Logic Model
    Inputs

     

    • Grants Administration Process
    • Grantee Technical Assistance
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Learning Resources

     

    • Grants Administration Process
    • Grantee Technical Assistance
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Learning Resources

    Inputs

    Grants Administration:
    • Cooperator for grant program administration
    • Cooperator policies and procedures for grants
    • Grant program guidelines
    • Application; Supplemental Application Form
    • Eligibility criteria, application eligibility review, independent panel review process and project selection criteria
    • Grant applicants* 
    • Grantees* 
    •  Appeals process
    Grantee Technical Assistance:
    • Technical assistance for program design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
    • National Resource Center
    • Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Grantee and National Logic models
    • Measurement framework
    • Final Descriptive Reports (grantee data)
    • Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning capacity building to grantees
    • Guidelines, data collection
    • Instruments approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the National Endowment for the Arts
    Learning:
    • Results from monitoring and evaluation of previous Creative Forces community engagement programs
    • Existing research on community arts engagement for military-connected populations
    • National Resource Center
    • Additional Creative Forces Cooperators (capacity, clinical)
    Activities
    • Community arts engagement through tiered grants for non-clinical arts engagement with military-connected populations
    • Support grantee implementation
    • Monitor and evaluate the Creative Forces® Community Engagement Grants program 
    • Contribute to the field
    • Community arts engagement through tiered grants for non-clinical arts engagement with military-connected populations
    • Support grantee implementation
    • Monitor and evaluate the Creative Forces® Community Engagement Grants program 
    • Contribute to the field
    Improve Health, Well-being, and Quality of Life of Service Members, Veterans, Families, and Caregivers through Tiered Grants for non-clinical Arts Engagement with Military-Connected Populations
    • Conduct RFP and award processes
    • Oversee implementation of tiered national grant program
    Support Community Engagement grantee implementation
    • Technical assistance for program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation
    • Peer to Peer learning and Community of Practice
    Monitor and Evaluate the Community Engagement Grant Program
    • National team uses logic model, measurement framework, grantee data, and evaluation cycle for ongoing program improvement and development and to improve understanding of the impact of non-clinical arts engagement with military-connected populations
    Contribute to the Field
    • Maintain Creative Forces National Resource Center as a curated arts, health, and military resource center; add products
    • Disseminate learning

     

    Outputs

    Data, documents, or materials reflecting: 

    • Grants administration data
    • Grantee technical assistance data
    • Monitoring and evaluation data
    • Learning data

    Data, documents, or materials reflecting: 

    • Grants administration data
    • Grantee technical assistance data
    • Monitoring and evaluation data
    • Learning data
    Grants Administration:
    • number of grant applications
    • number of grants awarded by tier
    • number of/types intended strategic outcomes
    • number of projects grants successfully completed
    • number of/type in-person, virtual activities
    • percentage of grant awards for projects that engage diverse demographic and socioeconomic groups
    • percentage of grant awards for projects in rural areas or high-poverty neighborhoods
    • Satisfaction with Creative Forces national programs/events
    Grantee Technical Assistance
    • number of /type technical assistance trainings provided to grantees
    • number of grantee participants in technical assistance trainings
    • number of  learning community engagements
    • number of logic models, implementation plans, communications plans, evaluation plans, revised logic models submitted
    Monitoring and Evaluation
    • Community engagement
    • Grant program performance measurement and evaluation
    • Grantee evaluations
    Learning
    • number of/type of products added to Creative Forces National Resource Center
    • National Resource Center usage/download stats
    • number of/types of public disseminations
    Outcomes

    GRANTEE OUTCOMES

    • Grantees and partners sustain and evaluate programs for military-connected populations.
    • Partners, practitioners, and communities support participation of military-connected populations in community arts engagement programs and understand the value and impact of the arts for military-connected populations.
    • Military and civilian communities become more connected, and there is communication, understanding, and engagement among military-connected populations, communities, and partners.

    MONITORING and EVALUATION OUTCOMES

    • National-level program monitoring and evaluation occurs according to evaluation cycle, is ongoing, and guides program improvement and contributes to learning for the agency and field.

    LEARNING OUTCOMES

    • Rigorous evidence documents the impact of community arts participation for military-connected populations.
    • Knowledge and resources grow through the learning community, advancing the field and supporting community arts engagement outcomes for military-connected populations.
    • Agencies, organizations, practitioners, funders, and policymakers understand the value and impact of community arts engagement for military-connected populations, support programs and policies, become partners, and advocate for community arts engagement.

    GRANTEE OUTCOMES

    • Grantees and partners sustain and evaluate programs for military-connected populations.
    • Partners, practitioners, and communities support participation of military-connected populations in community arts engagement programs and understand the value and impact of the arts for military-connected populations.
    • Military and civilian communities become more connected, and there is communication, understanding, and engagement among military-connected populations, communities, and partners.

    MONITORING and EVALUATION OUTCOMES

    • National-level program monitoring and evaluation occurs according to evaluation cycle, is ongoing, and guides program improvement and contributes to learning for the agency and field.

    LEARNING OUTCOMES

    • Rigorous evidence documents the impact of community arts participation for military-connected populations.
    • Knowledge and resources grow through the learning community, advancing the field and supporting community arts engagement outcomes for military-connected populations.
    • Agencies, organizations, practitioners, funders, and policymakers understand the value and impact of community arts engagement for military-connected populations, support programs and policies, become partners, and advocate for community arts engagement.
    GRANTEE OUTCOMES:

    Short-Term Outcomes:

    • Grantees networks and partnerships support the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs based on local needs for military-connected populations.

    Mid-Term Outcomes:

    • Grantees sustain programs.
    • Partners, practitioners, and communities support participation of military-connected populations in community arts engagement programs. 

    Long-Term Outcomes:

    • Understanding of the value and impact of the arts for military-connected populations increases across local networks and communities.
    • Military and civilian communities are more cohesive and connected, and there is multi-directional communication, understanding, and engagement among military-connected populations, communities, and partners.
    MONITORING and EVALUATION OUTCOMES:

    Short-Term Outcomes:

    • National-level program monitoring and evaluation tools, data collection, evaluation cycle, and support for grantee monitoring and evaluation are in place.

    Mid-Term Outcomes:

    • National-level program monitoring and evaluation occurs according to evaluation cycle, is ongoing, and guides program improvement. 

    Long-Term Outcomes:

    • National-level program monitoring and evaluation contributes to learning for the agency and field.
    LEARNING OUTCOMES:

    Short-Term Outcomes:

    • Grantees and the national program document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned. 

    Mid-Term Outcomes:

    • Rigorous evidence documents the impact of community arts participation for military-connected populations.
    • Shared program models are used for program replication and adaptation.

    Long-Term Outcomes:

    • Agencies, organizations, practitioners, funders, and policymakers understand the value and impact of community arts engagement for military-connected populations, support programs and policies, become partners, and advocate for community arts engagement. Knowledge and resources continue to grow through the learning community, advancing the field and supporting community arts engagement outcomes for military-connected populations.

    Assumptions and External Factors

    Learn more about the assumptions and external factors of the Community Engagement Grant National Logic Model.

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    Assumptions & External Factors

    • Arts, community, and military organizations will invest in partnerships.
    • Grantees and partners will contribute to learning and form a learning community.

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