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Third Annual Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards to Advance Arts and Health Research

Washington, DC, November 19, 2025–The NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and the Aspen Institute, is now accepting applications for the 2026 Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards. The awards program, established and supported by the Renée Fleming Foundation, provides funding and mentorship to early career scholars and arts practitioners working in the field of neuroarts. Neuroarts is an emerging field, rooted in the science of neuroaesthetics and ways of knowing, which explores how the arts and aesthetic experiences change the brain, body, and behavior and how this knowledge can be applied to advance health and well-being across society.

The program’s purpose, critical for building the neuroarts field, is three-fold:

  • Provide seed funding for early career researchers and arts practitioners to collaborate on innovative neuroarts research.
  • Identify and fill key gaps in neuroarts research.
  • Develop and support a new generation of neuroarts professionals.

Interdisciplinary teams may apply for only one grant up to $25,000. Administered by the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, applicants are invited to submit proposals by February 3, 2026. Proposals will be reviewed by an independent review committee. Award decisions will be announced on April 15, 2026. Additional information about the awards program and application process can be found by visiting the NeuroArts Blueprint website. 

A webinar about the Fleming Investigator Awards, including responses to questions about the application process, will be held on December 18, 2025, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Potential applicants may register for the webinar here.

“I am so excited to invite a new group of researchers and artists to propose collaborations in this amazing field,” said Renée Fleming, acclaimed soprano, NeuroArts Blueprint co-chair, and World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. “Seeing the level of innovation we have supported so far, and the ongoing growth of this program, I know we are moving the needle in our understanding of the power of the arts and aesthetic experiences for health. I can’t wait to see the ideas for projects in this, our third year of the Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards.”

The Renée Fleming Neuroarts Investigator Awards align with the recommendations of the groundbreaking 2021 report, The NeuroArts Blueprint: Advancing the Science of Arts, Health, and Wellbeing, produced by the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative. The Initiative is a collaborative effort between the International Arts and Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics (IAM Lab) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Health, Medicine & Society program at the Aspen Institute, amplifying the intersection of the arts and sciences to advance health and well-being.

The Initiative seeks to establish neuroarts as a recognized field by advancing research and evidence-based arts practices, establishing educational pathways, identifying funding sources, and advocating for relevant public policy. This awards program serves as a catalyst for implementing these recommendations and fostering the next generation of neuroarts researchers.

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About Renée Fleming and the Renée Fleming Foundation

Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, honored with five Grammy® awards and the US National Medal of Arts. A 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, she is the co-chair of the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, and a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. As a leading advocate for research spanning arts, health, and neuroscience, Fleming has presented her program Music and Mind around the world. In April 2024, Viking Penguin Random House published her anthology Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness. Her other awards include the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, Harvard Medical School’s David Mahoney Neuroscience Prize, and honorary doctorates from ten leading universities. The Renée Fleming Foundation is committed to helping to build the future of music and health research, as well as nurturing emerging artists, through targeted projects and support of recognized organizations doing this crucial work. The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

About the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative

The NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative is a partnership between the Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics (IAM Lab) and the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine and Society (HMS) Program. Co-directed by Susan Magsamen, MAS, executive director of IAM Lab, and Ruth J. Katz, JD, MPH, executive director of the HMS Program, the Initiative bridges the gap between the arts and sciences to advance health and well-being by promoting innovative research, developing evidence-based practices, and raising public awareness of the arts’ potential to enhance health. The Initiative also created and maintains theNeuroarts Resource Center, a first-of-its-kind online platform designed to connect, inform, and inspire the growing neuroarts global community.

Media Contacts:

Renée Fleming Foundation, Madeline Tatum, [email protected]

NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, Catherine Law, [email protected]