Better together

We’re fortunate to partner with an extraordinary network of grantees that are empowering countless people to find their creative voices and make meaningful connections along the way.

Meet our grantees

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Vitality Arts®

for ages 55 and better

Seeding Vitality Arts Cohort Members are noted in blue.

Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums Cohort Members are noted in orange.

Akron Art Museum – Akron, OH
2022 / $90,942 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Albuquerque Museum Foundation – Albuquerque, NM
2020 / $20,520 / Creative Age
2020 / $3,000 / Online Mixed Media Collage Class

Alive & Kickin – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $100,000 / General Operations
2019-2021 / $155,095 / Three-Year Expansion Plan

American Alliance of Museums – Arlington, VA
2021 / $10,000 / 2022 TrendsWatch Report

Anchorage Museum Association – Anchorage, AK
2021 / $25,000 / Creative Vitality: Arts-Based Learning for Older Adults
2020 / $25,000 / Creative Vitality: Arts-Based Learning for Older Adults
2020 / $3,000 / Virtual Movement Class

ASU Art Museum – Tempe, AZ
2022 / $119,978 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Be That Neighbor – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $5,000 / Mill City Singers 

Boise Art Museum– Boise, ID
2022 / $215,283 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Bronx Museum of the Arts– Bronx, NY
2022 / $230,420 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Brooklyn Museum– Brooklyn, NY
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

CommonBond Communities – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $100,000 / Arts and Aging
2021 / $112,000 / Arts and Aging
2020 / $100,000 / Arts and Aging

Craft Contemporary – Los Angeles, CA
2022 / $25,000 / Crafting Histories
2020 / $21,667 / Crafting Histories
2020 / $3,000 / Interactive Online Programming

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art – Bentonville, AR
2022 / $229,130 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums 

FilmNorth – St. Paul, MN
2021 / $20,000 / Stories 55
2020 / $3,000 / Stories 55: Virtual Adventures in Visual Storytelling

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco – San Francisco, CA
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums 

Frist Art Museum– Nashville, TN
2022 / $129,545 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance – Chicago, IL
2022 / $25,000 / Active and Engaged: Arts Programming for Older Adults
2020 / $25,000 / Senior Art Programs
2020 / $3,000 / Virtual Programming: Botanical Drawing

Heard Museum– Phoenix, AZ
2022 / $209,001 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums
2022 / $25,000 / Creative Aging Workshops
2020 / $25,000 / Creative Aging Workshops

Honolulu Museum of Art– Honolulu, HI
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art– Sarasota, FL
2022 / $109,907 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

John Michael Kohler Arts Center – Sheboygan, WI
2022 / $22,000 / Art Links Sheboygan
2020 / $25,000 / Art Links Sheboygan
2020 / $3,096 / Online Learning: Polymer Clay

Keshet Dance Company – Albuquerque, NM
2021 / $25,000 / Fine Wine Dance FWD: 2021 – 2022 Series
2020 / $3,000 / Fine Wine Dance aka Moving FWD Online Workshops

Lifetime Arts, Inc. – New Rochelle, NY
2022-2024 / $1,500,000 / Strategic Plan/General Operations
2021 / $63,500 / Digitial Services Expansion
2021-2022 / $700,000 / Advancing Creative Aging
2020-2021 / $62,500 / Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums
2018-2020 / $135,000 / Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums
2017-2020 / $1,500,000 / National Impact Initiative
2017-2020 / $182,500 / Seeding Vitality Arts MN

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) – Los Angeles, CA
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums
2021 / $44,361 / Create + Collaborate
2020 / $40,300 / Create + Collaborate

MacPhail Center for Music – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $85,000 / Forte at 55+: Turning Up the Volume on MacPhail Music
2021 / $85,000 / Forte at 55+: Turning Up the Volume on MacPhail Music
2020 / $85,000 / Forte at 55+: Turning Up the Volume for Music for Life

Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc. – New York, NY
2022 / $18,000 / Creative Aging Choir
2021 / $20,000 / Creative Aging Choir

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art– Memphis, TN
2022 / $249,993 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Minneapolis Institute of Art – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums
2020 / $3,000 / Online Learning Pilot

Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts – Winona, MN
2021 / $25,000 / Creative Aging at Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts
2020 / $6,000 / Vitality Arts

Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte – San Juan, Puerto Rico
2022 / $25,000 / La Vida es un Arte (Life is an Art Form)
2020 / $25,000 / La Vida es un Arte (Life is an Art Form)
2020 / $2,992 / La Vida es un Arte 2.0 (Life is an Art Form 2.0)

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego– San Diego, CA
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson – Tucson, AZ
2022 / $25,000 / Intergenerational & Creative Aging Programs
2020 / $25,000 / Stay Gold and School of Drag
2020 / $3,000 / The Real Imagined: A Collaborative Zine

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Houston, TX
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Naples Botanical Garden – Naples, FL
2021 / $25,000 / Creative Aging Workshops
2020 / $17,565 / Nature Journaling: Botany through Art
2020 / $3,074 / Observing Nature Around Me through Artful Journaling

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies – Washington, DC
2022 / $1,396,500 / States Leading Creative Aging
2020 / $268,000 / Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging Phase 2

National Guild for Community Arts Education, Inc. – New York, NY
2021 / $87,500 / Catalyzing Creative Aging: Shifting Culture
2021 / $50,000 / Activating Communities of Care: The Creative Aging Movement in a Time of Pandemic
2019-2020 / $470,000 / Catalyzing Creative Aging: Building a Movement

National Museum of Mexican Art – Chicago, IL
2021 / $25,000 / Viva La Vida
2020 / $25,000 / Viva la Vida
2020 / $3,000 / Viva La Vida (Virtual Workshops)

Neon Museum – Las Vegas, NV
2020 / $25,000 / Reclaim Restore Remember Creative Series
2020 / $2,945 / Creative Aging: Telling Personal Stories

Neuberger Museum of Art – Harrison, NY
2022 / $246,822 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

New Orleans Museum of Art – New Orleans, LA
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Ohio History Connection – Columbus, OH
2022 / $25,000 / 55+ Creative Aging Classes
2020 / $25,000 / Seeding Vitality Arts in Museums Year 2
2020 / $2,856 / Virtual Watercolor Class

Pérez Art Museum Miami  – Miami, FL
2022 / $216,150 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

PrimeLife Arts Learning – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $38,000 / General Operating Support
2021 / $25,000 / General Operating Support

Philbrook Museum of Art – Tulsa, OK
2022 / $162,350 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Pillsbury House Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
2021 / $25,000 / CenterstAGE Memoir Explorations
2020 / $3,000 / Virtual Memoir Classes

Queens Museum of Art – Queens, NY
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Rumriver Art Center – Anoka, MN
2022 / $25,000 / Vitality Arts Outreach
2021 / $25,000 / Vitality Arts
2020 / $3,000 / Online Learning Pilot

Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts – Camden, NJ
2022 / $25,000 / Encore Arts Creative Aging Program
2020 / $25,000 / Encore Arts Creative Aging Program

School One – Providence, RI
2021 / $19,825 / Intergenerational Arts Program
2020 / $3,000 / Life’s Gems: Intergenerational Creative Writing

Smithsonian Institution – Washington, DC
2022 / $25,000 / Smithsonian Studio Arts and Boomers’ Chorus
2020 / $25,000 / Smithsonian Boomers’ Chorus
2020 / $3,000 / Curating a Life: Art as Memoir

Speed Art Museum – Louisville, KY
2022 / $25,000 / Platinum Collective Jewelry Extravaganza
2020 / $25,000 / Community Connections
2020 / $3,000 / Online Bookmaking

Taller Puertorriqueño – Philadelphia, PA
2021 / $25,000 / Moving Stories 3: Sharing Memories through Art-Making
2020 / $3,000 / Online Learning Pilot
2020 / $6,400 / Best Practices in Vitality Arts among Philadelphia’s Latino Community

Tampa Museum of Art– Tampa, FL
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

Teachers & Writers Collaborative – Brooklyn, NY
2021 / $25,000 / Legacy Arts: Telling Out Stories
2020 / $3,000 / Our Oral Histories

Textile Center – Minneapolis, MN
2021 / $25,000 / Interlace
2020 / Interlace Online

The Louisiana Museum Foundation – New Orleans, LA
2022 / $ 16,981 / Creative Aging Courses at the Louisiana State Museum
2020 / $17,753 / Illustrating New Orleans: Arts Workshops for Older Adults
2020 / $3,000 / Resilience in Writing: Online Poetry Courses for Older Adults at the Louisiana State Museum

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art– Kansas City, MO
2022 / $250,000 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums 

The Olana Partnership – Hudson, NY
2022 / $25,000 / “Young at HeART” Workshop Series
2020 / $25,000 / “Young at HeART” Workshop Series

Toledo Museum of Art– Toledo, OH
2022 / $119,916 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums

TU Dance – St. Paul, MN
2021 / $16,544 / Dance Workshops for Older Adults

Twin Cities Public Television – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $125,984 / Next Avenue: Arts + Aging in Community
2021 / $125,000 / Next Avenue: Exploring Museums
2020 / $124,355 / Next Avenue: Arts Courses

Union County Historical Society and Heritage Museum – New Albany, MS
2020 / $25,000 / Pottery, Mosaics, and Stitchery
2020 / $3,187 / Online Memoir Writing and Mixed Media

United Methodist Retirement Communities (URMC) Foundation – Chelsea, MI
2021 / $25,000 / Art of Aging: Crafting a Creative Community
2020 / $3,000 / Online Learning Pilot

Utah Museum of Fine Arts – Salt Lake City, UT
2021 / $158,500 / Vitality Arts Project for Art Museums 

Walker Methodist Foundation – Minneapolis, MN
2021 / $25,000 / In-Person Art After a Year of COVID
2020 / $3,000 / Online Learning Project


Discovery Arts

for children and youth

Children’s Theatre Company – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $75,000 / ACT Pass
2021 / $75,000 / ACT Pass
2020 / $75,000 / ACT Pass

Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $68,376 / First Moves
2021 / $68,376 / First Moves

East Side Arts Council – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $25,000 / Arts for All
2021 / $25,000 / Arts for All
2020 / $25,000 / Arts for All

FilmNorth – St. Paul, MN
2021 / $50,000 / General Operating Support
2020 / $50,000 / Youth Media Education

Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $85,000 / Harmony Program
2021 / $85,000 / Harmony Program
2020 / $80,000 / Harmony Program

Lundstrum Performing Arts – Minneapolis, MN
2020 / $50,000 / General Operating Support for Youth Programming

MacPhail Center for Music – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $90,000 / All Together Now! North Minneapolis E-12 Music
2021 / $90,000 / All Together Now! North Minneapolis E-12 Music
2020 / $85,000 / All Together Now! North Minneapolis E-12 Music

Minneapolis Institute of Art – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $57,372 / Creativity Academy
2021 / $57,372 / Creativity Academy
2020 / $52,900 / Creativity Academy

Northern Clay Center – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $25,000 / Clay to Go
2021 / $25,000 / Clay to Go
2020 / $25,000 / Clay to Go
2019 / $25,000 / Clay to Go

Pillsbury House + Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $45,000 / Chicago Avenue Project
2021 / $45,000 / Chicago Avenue Project
2020 / $45,000 / Chicago Avenue Project
2019 / $45,000 / Chicago Avenue Project

TU Dance – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $40,000 / Access to TU Dance Center Programming for Children & Youth
2021 / $40,000 / Access to TU Dance Center Programming for Children & Youth
2020 / $40,000 / Access to TU Dance Center Programming for Children & Youth
2019 / $40,000 / Access to TU Dance Center Programming for Children & Youth

VocalEssence – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $100,000 / VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
2021 / $100,000 / VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
2020 / $100,000 / VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
2019 / $100,000 / VocalEssence Singers of This Age

Walker Art Center, Inc. – Minneapolis, MN
2019 / $40,000 / Cultural Experiences Partnership: 6th Grade Animation Workshops
2017-2019 / $47,500 / Cultural Experiences Partnership Animation Program


Humanity Arts

for adults with mental illness

MacPhail Center for Music – Minneapolis, MN
2022 / $144,114 / Music Therapy at Andrew Residence
2021 / $144,114 / Music Therapy at Andrew Residence
2020 / $171,395 / Music Therapy at Andrew Residence

Mateo Lodge, Inc. – Redwood City, CA
2022 / $87,275 / Mateo Lodge Art Program and Renovation
2021 / $98,150 / Mateo Lodge Art Program and Renovation
2020 / $77,700 / Mateo Lodge Art Program and Renovation

People Incorporated – St. Paul, MN
2022 / $125,000 / 2023 Artability Workshops and Showcase
2021 / $80,000 / Artability – Art and Music 2022
2020 / $120,000 / Artability

Tasks Unlimited, Inc. – Minneapolis, MN
2021 / $17,850 / Lodge Renovation
2020 / $35,350 / Lodge Renovation

Touchstone Mental Health – Minneapolis, MN
2021-2022 / $127,059 / Creative Expression Program
2019-2020 / $89,240 / Creative Expression Program

E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s most recent tax return can be reviewed here:

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