Research & Resources
Evidence That
Drives Our Work
NDF builds its mission on real work from credible sources, practitioners, peer-reviewed studies, and the people who live this every day. The field holds a lot of knowledge. We bring it together.
Our approach creates space for connection. We design forums and symposiums that bring providers and disciplines together, opening room for shared learning, stronger practices, and steady progress across the field. The resources below inform and validate that work.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Trauma in America: Scale, Impact, and the Case for Trauma-Informed Care
Shows how common trauma is and how deeply it shapes long-term health. Their data points to a clear reality: most people carry experiences that overwhelm their ability to cope, and those experiences often drive later mental-health and substance-use challenges.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY, 2025
Equine-Assisted Therapy and Youth Wellbeing: 23.8% Increase in Emotional Wellness
Clinical research documenting measurable improvement in emotional wellness for at-risk youth through equine-assisted therapy programs, evidence supporting NDF’s investment in equine-assisted and other alternative therapy modalities.
U.S. DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
VA Awards $16M for Adaptive Sports and Equine Therapy for Disabled Veterans
Federal-level recognition and funding commitment for equine-assisted therapy as a legitimate, evidence-backed intervention for veterans, validating the core of NDF’s partnership approach.
Frontiers in psychology, 2019
Art Therapy and anxiety: 18% Reduction in Symptoms, 46% Attributed to Emotional Regulation
Peer-reviewed clinical research demonstrating measurable anxiety reduction through art therapy participation, and identifying the specific mechanism of emotional regulation improvement that drives those outcomes.
STANFORD CHILDREN'S HEALTH
The Transformative Power of Art Therapy in Mental Health Treatment
Stanford’s clinical perspective on art therapy’s proven role, providing mainstream medical validation of an approach that NDF supports at the nonprofit delivery level.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
FSU Launches Dedicated Institute for Arts and Art Therapy
A major research university establishing a dedicated art therapy institute, a signal that the field NDF champions is gaining mainstream academic infrastructure and credibility.
Field Building
Symposiums & Collaboration
The field of alternative and complementary therapies holds significant knowledge, but much of it stays inside each discipline. When that happens, the chance to learn from one another or raise the overall standard of care slips by.
NDF designs forums and symposiums that bring providers and disciplines together, opening room for shared learning, stronger practices, and steady progress across the field.
Coming Summer 2026
NDF Programming Exposition
A major event celebrating NDF’s initial programming results, bringing together grantees, donors, practitioners, and researchers in the alternative therapy space.
Stay informed on
NDF programming.
Updates on grantees, research, donor events, and the Summer 2026 exposition. No spam, meaningful news from the field.