[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 109 (Monday, June 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24302-24303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-10412]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

National Endowment for the Arts


30-Day Notice for the ``Creative Forces[supreg]: NEA Military 
Healing Arts Network Community Arts Engagement Subgranting Program 
Evaluation Forms'' Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: National Endowment for the Arts.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data 
can be provided in the desired format; reporting burden (time and 
financial resources) is minimized; collection instruments are clearly 
understood; and the impact of collection requirements on respondents 
can be properly assessed. Currently, the National Endowment for the 
Arts is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information 
collection through a mixed-methods evaluation of the Creative 
Forces[supreg]: NEA Military Healing Arts Network Community Arts 
Engagement Grant Program. The evaluation uses primary and secondary 
data, and includes interviews, case study site visits, a Participant 
Survey for individuals who participate in community arts programs, and 
an Arts Engagement Facilitator Survey for those leading the arts 
activities. Copies of this ICR, with applicable supporting 
documentation, may be obtained by visiting www.Reginfo.gov.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
address section below within 30 days from the date of this publication 
in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days from the date of 
publication of this Notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this particular information collection by selecting, ``National 
Endowment for the Arts'' under ``Currently Under Review;'' then check 
``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Once you have found this 
information collection request, select ``Comment,'' and enter or upload 
your comment and information.
    Alternatively, comments can be sent to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the National 
Endowment for the Arts, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 
Washington, DC 20503, or call (202) 395-7316, within 30 days from the 
date of this publication in the Federal Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is 
particularly interested in comments which:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Title: `Creative Forces[supreg]: NEA Military Healing Arts Network 
Community Arts Engagement Subgranting Program Evaluation Forms'.
    OMB Number: 3135-0146.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Frequency: One time program evaluation.
    Affected Public: Grantees and participants/attendees of Creative 
Forces Community Engagement Programs.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 618 annually including grantees, 
partners, arts engagement facilitators, and program participants.
    Estimated Annual Time per Respondent (Hours): 0.25.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 265.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: 0.
    Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing 
services): $99,533.
    Description: The planned data collection is a new information 
collection request, and the data to be collected are not available 
elsewhere unless obtained through this information collection. This 
collection will include a pre-post Participant Survey, an Arts 
Engagement Facilitator Survey, and interviews with grantees, partners, 
arts engagement facilitators, and program participants. Data collection 
activities will occur with two grantee cohorts between July 2025 and 
July 2027. Evaluation results will provide actionable evidence to 
support current and future iterations of the grant program and Creative 
Forces Community Engagement (CFCE) grantees.
    The Creative Forces[supreg]: NEA Military Healing Arts Network 
seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for 
military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, and for their 
families and caregivers through clinical and non-clinical programs 
(https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/creative-forces). Creative Forces is 
funded through Congressional appropriation. The Congressional Committee 
on Appropriation ``supports the NEA's continued efforts to expand upon 
this successful program to embed Creative Arts Therapies at the core of 
integrative care efforts in clinical settings, advance collaboration 
among clinical and community arts providers to support wellness and 
reintegration efforts for affected families, and advance research to 
improve our understanding of impacts of these interventions in both 
clinical and community settings.''
    Creative Forces is a key element for meeting the NEA's FY 2022-2026 
Strategic Plan Strategic Objective 2.1: Support Arts Projects with a 
Focus on Advancing the Health and Well-Being of Individuals. As noted 
in this strategic objective, the CFCE Grant Program:

``. . . aims to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life 
for military-connected

[[Page 24303]]

populations. . . The lessons learned from implementing Creative 
Forces will inform other strategies to advance individual health and 
well-being through the arts. The networking, technical assistance, 
and the evaluation and learning that occur across the Creative 
Forces program are typical of the field-building activities 
necessary to realize this strategic objective for broader population 
groups. At the federal level, the NEA models this knowledge transfer 
by leading the Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human 
Development, which meets quarterly to examine research projects and 
evidence-based practice at the intersection of the arts, health, and 
human development.''

    Having announced the CFCE program in 2020, Creative Forces began 
awarding Community Engagement Grants in 2022 to support non-clinical 
arts engagement programming for military-connected populations through 
matching grants of $10,000 to $50,000 for emerging (``Emerging'') and 
established (``Advanced'') community-based arts engagement projects to 
serve military-connected populations. The grant program supports a 
range of program models (e.g., ongoing class, drop-in studio, single 
event) designed to meet local needs. It is the largest coordinated 
effort in the U.S. to provide community arts engagement programming for 
military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, and for their 
families and caregivers. The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant 
Program is conducted in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-
AAA).
    This is a new Information Collection Request for data collection 
across two grantee cohorts from July 2025 to July 2027. The evaluation 
uses a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative and 
qualitative data from primary and secondary sources. The evaluation 
will incorporate data from all grantees.

    Dated: June 4, 2025.
RaShaunda Thomas,
Deputy Director, Office of Administrative Services & Contracts, 
National Endowment for the Arts.
[FR Doc. 2025-10412 Filed 6-6-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7537-01-P