Grants That Make a Difference
Every month, "Grants that Make a Difference" highlights grants given to Washington, DC area organizations that have helped make a difference in people's lives. "Grants That Make a Difference" profiles these important community success stories.
October 1, 2005
Grant amount: $10,000
Who got the grant:
Arts for the Aging
6917 Arlington Road, Suite 352
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Phone: 301/718-4990
Fax: 301/718-4992
E-mail: info@aftaarts.org
Web site: http://www.aftaarts.org/
Who gave the grant:
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
1400 16th Street, N.W., Suite 360
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202/483-8294
Fax: 202/328-6850
Contact: Julie L. Rogers, President
E-mail: meyer@meyerfdn.org
Web site: http://www.meyerfoundation.org
Purpose of the grant:
To support artistic workshops for senior daycare centers and nursing homes.
Impact:
AFTA presently provides 85 free programs monthly in 37 senior centers in the metropolitan Washington DC area. Its art programs include dance, drawing, drumming, music, painting, poetry, sculpture, cultural outings, art lectures and intergenerational programming.
Benefits from the programs:
- Working with clay sustains hand joint mobility, which in turn facilitates the participant's ability to feed and dress themselves
- Body and dance movement foster balance and help prevent falls
- Musical activities have the capacity to stimulate as well as calm and to reawaken personal and historical memories, allowing the elderly to actively reminisce in a healthy fashion
- Visual arts increase cognitive abilities and hand eye coordination
- Including children in the programs increases self-esteem and communication between generations
The success of AFTA's workshops is measured by the response of the participants not by the quality of the artwork. AFTA's intention is not to create artists but instead enhance the quality of life of the participating seniors. Observations from staff during and after AFTA classes include improvements in alertness, verbalization and socialization skills, lessening of anxiety, passivity and agitation and occasional stimulation of short-term memory.
Mission:
AFTA's mission is to enhance the lives of physically and psychologically impaired elderly through the power of art.
"Grants that Make a Difference" is a rotating
feature profiling grants awarded to 501(c)3 nonprofit
organizations in the Metropolitan Washington,
DC area ONLY (the grantmaker doesn't necessarily
have to be local). The selection of grants for
"Grants That Make a Difference" is based on criteria
such as programmatic interests, geographic focus,
and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation
of the region's nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see a grant awarded to your NPO
featured here, e-mail a detailed description of
the grant (following the format below), to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org,
with "Grants Submission" in the subject line.
We welcome press releases in addition to, or as
a substitute for the description.
Here is what you need to include:
- Name of your funded program
- The amount of the grant (indicate if multi-year)
- Who received the grant - Your organization's name, contact person's name (if applicable), address, telephone and Web site (if applicable).
- Who gave the grant - Name of the grantmaker
- Community impact: A brief (250 words maximum) explanation of how this program is making a difference in the community.
- Your organization's mission and how it relates to this funded project.
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