Dreamstarter

Running Strong is giving away ten $10,000 grants every year to jumpstart the dreams of American Indian youth.

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.

Every year, Running Strong will provide ten $10,000 grants each year to a young Dreamstarter® and their community non-profit partner and work with them to implement a project inspired by the young person’s dream for her or his community. Beginning August 15th, teams of one nonprofit organization and one Native American youth should work together to complete a Dreamstarter® application outlining their idea, its funding needs, and how it will benefit youth.

Each year, Dreamstarter grants will be awarded to projects addressing a different theme. The theme for Dreamstarter 2020 is Health & Wellness.

How far wide is the reach of the Dreamstarter® program?

The Dreamstarter® program and its companion project, Dreamstarter Teacher, are both impacting 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.