Need help now? Veterans: dial 988, then press 1 Text 838255 Anyone: call or text 988 Immediate danger: 911
Brave Art InitiativeWhere creativity meets courage

Veteran-owned nonprofit · Minnesota

Your story is still being written.

Be heard.

Brave Art Initiative helps veterans, military families, first responders and single parents turn pain into purpose through art, storytelling and a community that shows up.

Brave Art Initiative shield logo with a gold brush stroke and paintbrush
  • Veterans
  • Families
  • Single parents
  • First responders

Membership is free. 100% of paid memberships go to support veterans, their families and single parents.

Our mission

Every brushstroke builds courage.

Brave Art Initiative is a veteran-owned nonprofit dedicated to empowering trauma survivors, including youth, veterans and military families, through creative expression, therapeutic art programs and community-centered healing.

We use art as a catalyst for resilience, mental wellness and social connection, so every person has a voice and a safe space to heal, grow and create.

Our programs are rooted in lived experience, driven by compassion and focused on building stronger, more expressive communities where every story matters.

We envision a world where art becomes a bridge to healing, and where every trauma survivor can rediscover their strength through creativity.

  • Healing through art

    Express to process. Connect to heal.

  • Safety

    A community where you can be yourself.

  • Amplifying voices

    Stories shared create lasting change.

  • Giving back

    100% of paid memberships go to those who need it most.

CourageWe honor the bravery it takes to heal. CreativityExpression can unlock healing. CommunitySpaces where survivors belong. CompassionEvery gesture rooted in care. EquityAccess and voice for everyone. ResilienceBouncing forward, not just back.

Founder

Drew “Bullet” Matthews

Army sniper. Combat veteran. Single father. Cycle-breaker.

Drew 'Bullet' Matthews with arms crossed beside an easel and paintbrushes. Text reads: Turning pain and hurt into purpose.

Drew enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard as an infantryman in November 2008 and was hand-selected straight out of basic training for Army sniper school. In 2011 and 2012 he deployed to Kuwait and Iraq with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division, serving on a personal security detail and as a turret gunner on long-haul and short-haul convoy missions.

Coming home was its own fight. He didn't understand what combat, blasts, stress and survival mode had done to his nervous system, so he coped the wrong way. He owns that. He also learned that no matter how far off track you get, you can rebuild.

I didn't find peace when I came home.I had to build it.

Brave Art Initiative is what he built. It helps people find their voice through art, storytelling and real conversation, and it gives them space to express what they can't always say out loud. Drew has also worked with orphanages in Mexico, drilled wells in Anambra State, Nigeria, and served with a nonprofit in Siberia and St. Petersburg, Russia. A docu-series following his service and the work of rebuilding is in development.

Find your next step

Answer five questions. Get a short list of who to call.

This check-in points you to the right people for what you're facing right now. It takes about two minutes.

Resource center

Free help, sorted by what you need.

National lines plus Minnesota-specific help. Every number below was checked against the organization's own listing.

Contact details verified October 2026 from each organization's published listing. Programs change, so confirm hours and eligibility when you call. Brave Art Initiative is not a crisis service and does not give medical, legal or financial advice. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.

Weekly free drawing

One entry. Every week. Always free.

Each week we draw one winner at random for something that feeds the spirit: a trip, art supplies, custom art, concert tickets and more.

This week

0Days
00Hours
00Min
00Sec

Entries close Sunday 2359 CT. Winner drawn Monday and notified by email.

Prizes in rotation

Free tripsArt suppliesCustom artConcert ticketsStudio time & more

No purchase or donation necessary. Donating does not improve your odds.

Enter free. Join free.

We use your details to run the drawing and contact the winner. We never sell them.

Past winners

    Official Rules

    NO PURCHASE OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR DONATION WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

    1. Sponsor

    Brave Art Initiative, a veteran-owned nonprofit based in Minnesota (“Sponsor”). Contact: braveartinitiative@gmail.com.

    2. Eligibility

    Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old (19 in Alabama and Nebraska, 21 in Mississippi) at the time of entry. Sponsor's officers, volunteers who administer the drawing, prize donors, and their immediate family and household members are not eligible.

    3. Entry period

    Each weekly drawing has its own entry period, beginning Monday at 12:00:00 a.m. Central Time and ending Sunday at 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time. Entries received outside an entry period count toward the next one.

    4. How to enter

    Complete the entry form on this website with your first name, last name, email address and state, and confirm your eligibility. Limit one entry per person and per email address each weekly period. Entries made by automated means, scripts, multiple identities or anyone other than the entrant are void. Paid membership, donations and purchases do not earn entries and do not affect odds.

    5. Prizes

    The prize for each weekly period, with its approximate retail value (“ARV”) and any conditions, is posted on this page for that week. Prizes may include travel packages, art supplies, original or custom artwork, event or concert tickets, and similar items. Travel dates, tickets and events are subject to availability and the provider's terms. Prizes are not transferable and have no cash alternative. Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a listed prize becomes unavailable. Costs not stated as included are the winner's responsibility.

    6. Winner selection and odds

    One winner per weekly period is selected in a random drawing from all eligible entries received during that period, using a cryptographically secure random number generator, on or about the Monday after the period closes. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

    7. Notification and claiming

    The potential winner is notified by email within two business days of the drawing and must reply within 72 hours, or the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner drawn. The winner may be asked to sign a declaration of eligibility and liability and publicity release. For any prize with an ARV of $600 or more, the winner must provide a completed IRS Form W-9 and will receive an IRS Form 1099. The winner is responsible for all taxes on the prize.

    8. Publicity

    Except where prohibited, by accepting a prize the winner agrees that Sponsor may post their first name, last initial and state as a winner, without further compensation.

    9. Privacy

    Entry information is used to administer the drawing and contact the winner. If you choose to become a member, it is also used to send Brave Art updates. Sponsor does not sell personal information.

    10. General conditions

    Sponsor may disqualify anyone who tampers with the entry process or violates these rules, and may cancel, suspend or modify a drawing if fraud, technical failure or any other cause beyond its control affects its fairness. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete or misdirected entries. By entering, entrants release Sponsor and prize donors from liability for any injury, loss or damage arising from participation or from a prize. This drawing is governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota.

    11. Social media

    This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X or any other platform. Each platform is released from all liability.

    12. Winners list

    Recent winners are listed on this page. For a winners list for a specific week, email braveartinitiative@gmail.com within 60 days of that drawing.

    Cryptrow Records × Legacy Buddy

    Your story deserves to live forever.

    Brave Art Initiative is the cultural preservation movement behind Cryptrow Records, a podcast label built to record, preserve and amplify voices that usually go unheard. Legacy Buddy is the AI-assisted app that helps you tell your story.

    The app

    Legacy Buddy AI

    Your AI co-creator. It interviews you, archives your stories and shapes them into podcast episodes. No experience needed.

    Pre-order Legacy Buddy

    The label

    Cryptrow Records

    Production, distribution, PR and placement on major podcast platforms, with creators keeping the rights to their work.

    Visit Cryptrow Records

    The archive

    Brave Art preservation

    Every story recorded becomes part of a living archive that families, schools and future generations can hear.

    How the archive works

    Honor plan

    Free for military and first responders

    Veterans, active duty, police, fire and EMS get Cryptrow's top Legacy tier at no cost, plus:

    • Health & Wellness Pal AI
    • VA & Benefits Guru
    • Appointment & communication concierge
    • Gifting Butler and a dedicated Honor support line

    Verification of service required. Plans and features are set by Cryptrow Records; see their site for current details.

    In planning

    It takes a village. We're building it.

    Willow Creek Veterans & Families Community is our first planned village: an affordable, sober-living tiny-home community for veterans, single parents and families. A place to heal, rebuild and raise healthy families.

    Illustrated site map of Willow Creek Veterans and Families Community showing tiny homes, a community barn, pool, garden, playground, animal pasture, river with waterfall and dock, fire pits and a flag plaza.
    Concept rendering. Site, layout and amenities are still being planned.

    Recovery. Purpose. Family. Community.

    • Modern tiny homes for affordable sober living
    • Family tiny homes for veterans with children
    • Guest and transitional cottages
    • Community barn with a workshop and gathering center
    • Shared podcast and art studio
    • Community garden and greenhouse
    • Park, playground, pool and splash pad
    • Community animals and petting zoo
    • River, waterfall, fishing dock and trails
    • Fire pits for family nights
    • Flag plaza and reflection area
    • Mobile podcast studios that travel to you

    The long-term vision is small communities in every state, near water, nature and small airports, where one membership opens the door to every village.

    Connect

    Follow the mission. Back the mission.

    Follow

    Stories, drawings, events and behind-the-scenes from the docu-series.

    #braveartinitiative #breakthecycle #CreativeHealing

    Partner or sponsor a prize

    Donate a trip, tickets, art supplies or studio time for a weekly drawing, or partner with us on a program. Businesses, artists and venues welcome.

    Open email

    Book Drew

    Podcasts, panels, veteran events and schools. Topics: coming home lost, trauma and healthy coping, fatherhood and breaking cycles, art and purpose.

    Open email