E.A. Michelson Philanthropy has been engaged in creative aging leadership work since 2012. We are committed to learning about, advocating for, and financially supporting the field. Creative aging, along with questions surrounding ageism and ableism, has become a central issue in the museum field when addressing equity and inclusion in our country.

More than a hundred organizations across the United States have been awarded our foundation’s Vitality Arts grants to help advance creative aging practices in their communities. The American Alliance of Museums and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies received significant capacity building grants. We have supported audience research to better understand the needs of older Americans and how cultural institutions can meet those needs. The hundreds of professional teaching artists who lead creative-aging classes with our support have contributed to a marked increase in quality community art education nationwide. This work offers older people a sense of accomplishment, relieving social isolation and building friendships.

I could list more accomplishments, none of which would have been possible without the dedication and expertise of our team members, in particular Executive Director Teresa Bonner, Program Officer Lindsay Lewis, Communications and Events Manager Sarah Drebelbis, and Grants Manager Suzanne Paki. They have worked tirelessly to support our mission and I am thankful for their contributions each and every day.

We are proud that since 2012 we have distributed more than $23.6 million to non-profit institutions to spur this developing movement of creative aging. From December 2024 onwards, the foundation will be on hiatus from grant support as we envision the next steps in our philanthropic journey within Creative Aging. Our advocacy will quietly be creating media content around aging with purpose through creativity. The work is far from done.

Thank you for your continuing interest in our work.