National Expansion of Vitality Arts
Vitality Arts (often called creative aging) programs provide older adults with a sense of accomplishment, improved wellbeing, connection with others and joy. They do this by inspiring older adults to learn, make and share the arts in an environment that sparks creativity, fosters friendships and builds community.
Since 2016, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy has underwritten five major national programs to expand Vitality Arts programs.
Seeding Vitality Arts
We launched Seeding Vitality Arts, a multi-year initiative, in 2016. Using a learning cohort model, we equipped 50 grantees from Anchorage to Puerto Rico with all the tools and funding needed to create highly successful programs. E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s partner, Lifetime Arts, provided intensive training and technical assistance to the grantees. Touchstone Center for Collaborative Inquiry developed an evaluation protocol that revealed successful program outcomes.
American Alliance of Museums
In May 2025, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy awarded two grants to the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in the amounts of $243,000 to raise awareness at the 2026 Annual Meeting and Museum Expo about creative aging programming in museums and also $405,000 toward the support of a new AAM planned initiative of developing the Leadership Institute. The institute will launch in 2026 as an intensive learning experience for museum directors and CEOs, filling a demand for senior leadership training. Released in 2021 and funded by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, AAM commissioned a major report entitled “Museums and Creative Aging: A Healthful Partnership.” The report calls on museums of all kinds to develop creative aging programs and combat ageism as “a strategic and ethical imperative.” AAM convened a national conference on museums and creative aging and shared extensive case studies of successful programming by museums.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
In May 2025, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy awarded $3,140,000 to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in support of the 2025-2027 initiative “Creative Aging Creative Futures.” The funds will be directed toward: 1. Direct funding to SAAs to establish, enhance and integrate creative aging initiatives 2. NASAA support activities for SAAs and 3. Issue elevation of creative aging. Also in 2021, NASAA launched a separate national initiative in creative aging which ended in 2023. With financial support, NASAA awarded $1,457,000 in grant funding to 36 state arts agencies across the country to grow their creative aging programs, practices and partnerships.
Untapped Opportunity: Older Americans & The Arts
This groundbreaking Culture Track report provides new data on people over 55 years of age. It reveals older adults’ priorities in engaging with the arts: opportunities to belong, to learn something new and to feel a sense of accomplishment. This report challenges arts and cultural organizations to recognize something that has been hiding in plain sight—an enormous opportunity to develop and deliver quality programs of relevance to the fastest growing segment of our society.
Together, We Create!
E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s first three cohorts seeded Vitality Arts programs in 50 nonprofit organizations. The programming was represented across the United States from Alaska to Puerto Rico. Within the first 2 cohorts, 221 programs were offered by grantees involving 2,836 participants and employing 135 teaching artists. We have now completed our fourth cohort with 15 American Alliance of Museums membership museums and we are presently working with our fifth cohort of 25 U.S. art museums.