Investing in Native Communities: Microenterprise Development
Josh Smith (Osage Nation) has had a transformative impact on both the Osage Nation and Indian Country through his work as a Dreamstarter and as the founder of Ekowah Coffee, a Native-owned roasting company that fuses entrepreneurship with community service. Through the Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Program, Josh received a $10,000 grant […]
Food Sovereignty and Security in Native Communities
Restoring Indigenous Food Sovereignty For Native communities, food sovereignty is the inherent right to define their own food systems — to grow, harvest, share, and sustain traditional and local foods in ways that reflect their cultural values, protect the land, and strengthen self-determination. It goes beyond simply ensuring access to food; it restores the deep […]
Brave Heart Society at 30 – Cultural Sovereignty in Action
Cultural sovereignty is about more than preserving traditions. It is the responsibility to care for the lands, waters, and sacred places that make us whole. Our survival depends on these relationships, and protecting them is protecting ourselves. For 30 years, the Brave Heart Society has embodied this vision. What began in November 1994, when 25 […]
What is Sovereignty?
For Native communities, sovereignty is about more than governance. It is the right to live as a people in ways that honor traditions, values, and knowledge passed down through generations. Sovereignty means making decisions for the well-being of the community without interference from outside forces. It is not something that was given to tribes—it is […]
Clean Water Can’t Wait: Bringing Safe Water to Crow Nation and Pine Ridge
This year, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is continuing its commitment to providing clean water to families on the Crow Nation in Montana and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Crow Nation: Addressing Urgent Water Needs Running Strong has awarded $200,000 in grant funding to the Plenty Doors Community Development Corp. in […]
Celebrating Our 2024-25 Dreamstarter Teachers!
As we prepare to welcome a new cohort of Dreamstarter Teachers for the 2025–26 school year, we pause to celebrate the successes of last year’s educators. The 2024–25 Dreamstarter Teachers reminded us that education is about more than textbooks—it’s about identity, belonging, and community. With support from Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, 2024-25 educators […]
Smart Sacks: Ending Weekend Hunger for Native Students
During the academic year, many Native children rely on school-provided meals to stay nourished throughout the day. But on weekends—when these services aren’t available—students often struggle to find enough to eat. How the Smart Sacks Program Began Several years ago, Running Strong for American Indian Youth launched the Smart Sacks program to address this weekend […]
6,000 Backpacks for 6,000 Native Children
Each fall, Running Strong organizes backpack donations filled with school supplies to Native American youth, to provide for students in Elementary Schools, through Junior High and High School. With the help of Running Strong supporters, thousands of Native American children will start off the new school year with confidence and the tools they need to […]
Meet Dreamstarter Nizhóní Begay
Empowering Indigenous Youth Through Education Nizhóní Begay (Diné and Quechua), 27, of Marina del Rey, California, has been selected as a 2025 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter. With her $20,000 Dreamstarter grant, she is launching a powerful initiative aimed at tackling the “significant barriers to accessing higher education, including limited exposure to college […]
Mobile market travels hundreds of miles weekly to ensure food security on Pine Ridge
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is vast – over 3,400 square miles. The distances families and elders must travel to access healthy food are long and prohibitive for many. Hundreds of families visit the Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center each month to access fresh food grown in our Medicine Root community gardens. They also come […]
Meet Dreamstarter Aaron Baumgardner
Background 2025 Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Aaron Baumgardner (Catawba Indian Nation), 29, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, is using his $20,000 Dreamstarter grant in the coming year to restore the relationship between the Catawba artists and rivercane, a vital cultural resource for traditional basketry. Aaron notes that rivercane—a large grass native to […]
When school is closed, summer rec is open!
Since its opening in 2023, our Oyate Ta Kola Ku (OTKK) Community Center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has become a space dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Oglala Lakota families. The center provides our youth with a place to connect with strong role models and be inspired to achieve their personal […]
“yUdjEhanAnô sôKAnAnô” — “We, Yuchi people, we are still here.”
For nearly three decades, thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, we have been able to help ensure that the Yuchi Language Project (YLP) in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, continues to be able to carry out its mission “to keep alive the rich heritage of the Yuchi people by creating new young speakers […]
Inside the Action: Youth Activities at OTKK
The Oyate Ta Kola Ku (OTKK) Community Center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation exists “to provide a variety of cultural, fitness, and, of course, fun activities throughout the entire year” for local children and youth. Since the facility opened just over two years ago, the larger space compared with the old building lets Director […]
Opening of a New Food Pantry on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
After much anticipation, the Oyate Ta Kola Ku Food Pantry is now almost ready to open its doors on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Announced in November 2024 with the rallying cry “If we build it, they will come…”, the project has now become a reality, representing a critical response to food insecurity in the […]
Summer Youth Feeding Program Will Serve Thousands of Meals This Summer
Starting in June, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® will once again be operating our Summer Youth Feeding Program (SYFP) in three communities on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Reservation in South Dakota – Cherry Creek, Red Scaffold, and LaPlante, three communities that have come to count on the program each year. Why this Program […]
Keeping Lakota Crafts & Traditions Alive on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
This spring, the Oyate Ta Kola Ku (OTKK) Community Center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation will offer various classes to help celebrate Lakota crafts and cultural traditions. Middle and high school students are taking classes to learn traditional Native American crafts such as sewing, beading, and quilting. These hands-on projects empower students to express their […]
Healing and Preserving Water
Healing and Preserving Water: A Dream in Action Since its founding, Running Strong for American Indian Youth has upheld a powerful and simple belief: clean water is a human right. What began with truckloads of water deliveries and hand-dug wells has grown into a far-reaching movement, connecting communities to life-giving resources and hope. Mni Wiconi: […]
Dreamstarter Teacher Donald King’s Journey to Inspire Indigenous Youth
In the heart of Bowler, Wisconsin, where a single building houses an entire school district—from daycare to high school—Donald King is doing far more than coordinating Title VI Indian Education. He’s nurturing a movement. A 2024-2025 Dreamstarter Teacher through Running Strong for American Indian Youth, King is driven by a powerful mission: to elevate Native voices, culture, and […]
The Impact of One Grant: Empowering the Future Leaders of the Catawba Nation, one student at a time.
Empowering Indigenous Youth Through Education What began as a vision has grown into a powerful movement empowering Indigenous youth to dream boldly, lead confidently, and pursue brighter futures. Thanks to a grant from Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, middle school social studies teacher John Price has transformed lives and inspired a generation. As a […]
Right now, many Native American communities are facing a food crisis.
Across the country, rising food costs and economic strain are hitting tribal nations hardest, where poverty and unemployment already run high. Native families are having a difficult time putting food on the table. In Nevada, food bank deliveries have been canceled, cutting off essential support to the Walker River Paiute Tribe. And in Oklahoma, tribal […]
Native Small Business on the Move
This spring, the Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Microenterprise Development Program held business workshops in Oklahoma, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and the Crow Nation in Montana. Developed by Josh Smith, the program supports Native entrepreneurs by offering hands-on training in business planning, marketing, and financial strategy, with an emphasis on […]
2024 Dreamstarter Creative… Connecting Culture and Community
2024 Dreamstarter Creatives are using their art to share and preserve both traditional and modern Native Stories. Art is a way for tribal communities to connect with their culture and each other. Each tribe has its own symbols, motifs, and aesthetics that help tell the stories of its rich culture and history. Since June, these […]
Growing Food Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency Across Indian Country
Gardening programs supported by Running Strong for American Indian Youth® are ramping up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and elsewhere in Indian Country with the arrival of spring and the last frost of the season on the reservation. Slim Buttes Agricultural Development Program The Slim Buttes Agricultural Development (SBAG) program, founded 40 years ago […]
Green Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, One Garden at a Time
Growing Food Security on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Slim Buttes Agricultural Development (SBAG) program, founded in 1985, continues to empower families on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by helping them grow their own food. In 2024, SBAG expanded its impact by distributing seedlings, tilling gardens, refurbishing raised beds, building planter boxes, and educating […]
2024-2025 Dreamstarter Teachers are shaping young learners
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® introduced our Dreamstarter Teacher grant program in 2017. This program aims to support the dreams of Native youth by awarding up to $5,000 in grants to teachers, librarians, and other educators to fulfill the unmet needs of their Native students. For the 2024-2025 School year, Running Strong selected 12 […]
Food sovereignty. It starts in the garden
One program can have such an impact on creating food sovereignty. 1 Medicine Root Garden Program: 3 Levels of Gardening Courses, 9 Months of Classrooms and hands-on instruction, over 50 Gardening students, and over 50,000 pounds of produce grown on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There are over 50 students in this year’s Medicine Root Gardening […]
“The children were so excited and took pictures with the food boxes.”
Excitement and Gratitude from Families In October and November, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® partnered with Brushy Cherokee Action Group in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, to distribute 1,000 food boxes to families in need. The organization serves four tribal nations and six communities, ensuring essential food reaches struggling families. Each 25-pound box contained a variety of […]
Keeping our Communities Healthy
In 2024, through our SmileStrong and WičhičhaǧA Strong programs, we provided 6,000 no-cost dental health kits and 3,000 no-cost feminine hygiene kits to those in need in Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Utah, and elsewhere in Indian Country. Sadly, basic needs items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss, along with feminine hygiene products, are unaffordable for too many […]
Thousands of food boxes in one month, hundreds of smart sacks for kids each week, and even one new food pantry…all in just two months to help overcome food insecurity.
Food insecurity has been a consistent issue throughout Indian country. Far too many native families are food insecure. Bringing food to these families has been at the core of our mission for almost two decades. Through distributing food boxes, developing community and family gardens, building food pantries, summer and weekend student feeding programs, and more, […]