Running Strong for American Indian Youth® believes in the dreams of young Native Americans: creating stronger communities and building a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.
Fifty years ago, Billy Mills achieved his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, and since then, he has used that victory to help him give back to the Native American community. To celebrate Billy’s dream and his leadership, Running Strong is proud to announce the Dreamstarter® grant program to help the next generation of American Indian youth make their dreams come true.
Since 2015, Running Strong has provided ten $10,000 grants each year to a young Dreamstarter® and their community non-profit partner and works with them to implement a project inspired by their dream for their community.
Each year, Dreamstarter® grants will be awarded to projects addressing a different theme. The theme for Dreamstarter® 2020 is Health & Wellness.
The Dreamstarter® program and its companion project, Dreamstarter® Teacher, are impacting Native American communities around the entire country!
In 2016, we introduced a new project to help jumpstart more dreams for Native American students: Dreamstarter® Teacher.
Running Strong has given away more than $600,000 in grants since 2015 to jumpstart the dreams of American Indian youth.
keeping up with the dreamstarters
Check here for the most recent updates on your favorite Dreamstarters as they report on their projects, submit photos of their progress, and keep the dream alive.
Introducing Dreamstarter® Gold: Jeremy Dennis, MFA
Introducing Dreamstarter® Gold: Dr. Cristin Haase, DMD, MPH
Introducing Dreamstarter® Gold: Noah Hotchkiss
Introducing Dreamstarter® Gold: Dr. Sara (Chase) Merrick
Running Strong Dreamstarters Awarded the Gift of Scholarship by the Earl and Anna Broady Foundation
Introducing Dreamstarter® Gold: Riel LaPlant, MA
