Armed Services Arts Partnership

Causes: Arts & Culture, Arts Services, Military & Veterans Organizations, Performing Arts, Veterans

Mission: The Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) exists to help veterans, service members, military family members, and caregivers reintegrate into their communities through the arts. We promote expression, skill-building, and camaraderie through classes in stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, creative writing, and the visual arts. Our innovative approach equips veterans with transferable life skills, a renewed sense of purpose, and improved well-being, while strengthening ties between veterans and their communities through the arts.

Results: We’ve served 700+ veterans through 200+ classes and workshops. We’ve delivered close to 150 performances for 15,000+ audience members — including shows at The White House and for President Jimmy Carter — and our alumni’s performances have reached an estimated 100,000 people. We have been featured in numerous major press and media outlets including CNN, ABC, NBC, BBC, NPR, PBS, and featured in The Washington Post, and Politico Magazine. To view these stories and articles, please visit asapasap.org/recognitions. More importantly, our Program Impact Evaluation (PIE) shows that our programs produce statistically significant increases in our participants’ well-being and resiliency — and these improvements are sustained over time. To learn more, please visit asapasap.org/impact.

Geographic areas served: The DC Metro Area and Hampton Roads, VA are each home to 500,000+ veterans, service members, and military families.

Programs: We provide veterans with free, eight-week classes and one- to two-day workshops across an array of art forms (comedy, improv, storytelling, writing, and visual arts). These programs, which are led by top-tier teaching artists and ASAP program alumni, provide participants with a safe outlet for expression, skill-building, and social support. Classes culminate with graduation shows, which offer veterans a platform to share their stories with the public and broaden our communities’ awareness of the veteran experience. Donate now at give.classy.org/asapvets.