Federal Collaboration Aims to Boost Health and Well-being through Arts and Cultural Perspectives

In 2024, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) established the Interagency Working Group on Arts, Health, and Civic Infrastructure (IWG-AHCI). The main goal of this group is to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and communities through collaborations among federal agencies. The group is led by Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA, and Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

This working group is a continuation of previous cross-agency efforts to integrate arts and cultural perspectives with public policy interventions. Examples include the Federal Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development, the Sound Health initiative, partnerships between the NEA, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and the CDC Foundation, as well as the Equitable Long Term Recovery and Resilience (ELTRR) Plan led by HHS.

On a quarterly basis, representatives from various government agencies will gather to explore potential partnerships and research areas; identify opportunities to incorporate arts and cultural strategies into programs impacting public health and community spaces; highlight best practices across government agencies; and facilitate engagement between community-based organizations, state governments, and federal programs supporting the arts, health, and civic infrastructure. This collaboration will help ensure that arts resources are accessible to all individuals regardless of their background or location.