Dreamstarter®

Native Youth Each Year

$ 0

Each Time

Dreams Come True

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.

DREAMSTARTER® 2022: Social Action

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® 2022 is Social Action.

The Dreamstarter® program and its companion project, Dreamstarter® Teacher, are impacting Native American communities around the entire country!

Dreamstarter® Gold

In 2020, we announced the five Dreamstarter® Golds to receive $50,000 for expansions of their original dreams across Indian Country.

Dreamstarter® Teacher

In 2016, we launched a Dreamstarter® companion program designed to support educators who work in majority-Native classrooms with unmet needs.

Dreamstarter® Creative

In 2021, we developed Dreamstarter® Creative to invest in Native artists who are upholding generations of culture and tradition through their artwork.

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.