Apply for a Dreamstarter Grant!

• Grant Budget
• Grant Budget Narrative
• Project Timeline
• Proof of Tribal Enrollment
• SIGNED W9 from Mentor Organization
• IRS Tax Exempt Letter from Mentor Organization
• Most recent 990 for Mentor Organization (should not be more than 2 years old)
• 3 letters of recommendation from community members, tribal leaders, professors, employers, etc.
• Photos – 1 Headshot of Dreamstarter Applicant, 2-3 photos of Dreamstarter Applicant in action (volunteer projects, school, or work related photos, etc.), and 2-3 photos of Mentor Organization in action. Please submit photos that you are willing to share on social media. Successful applicant’s photos and details about their project will be shared on the Running Strong website.

Native Youth, ages 15-30, can apply to receive $20,000 to pursue their Environmental Justice-inspired dreams!

Environmental Justice ensures that everyone has the right to equal environmental protection and demands safe, healthy living and work environments for economically disadvantaged and marginalized communities. It respects and protects both cultural and biological diversity, and calls for equal access to employment, food and water security, enriching schools and recreation, safe housing, quality healthcare, decision making opportunities, personal empowerment and more.

For centuries, Indigenous people have built and protected their communities, stewarded their land in traditional ways, and been resilient in the face of oppression. This year’s Dreamstarter projects should address the disproportionate exposure of marginalized Native communities to unsafe and unhealthy environments – food and water insecurity, unsafe housing, polluted air, harms associated with resource extraction, physical and mental health endemics, exclusion from decision-making, etc – and use their passion, their education and professional experience, and their cultural teachings to develop and implement solutions.

All Dreamstarter applicants are encouraged to undertake projects that tackle an important systemic environmental issue in their own communities and use their cultural and traditional teachings to develop and implement a solution.

When it comes to using Indigenous solutions to address environmental injustice, there is no dream too small or too big.

Environmental Justice project areas can include:

• Water Access, Infrastructure, & Sovereignty

• Climate Change & Resilience

• Food Security & Sovereignty

• Safe Housing

• Clean Air

• Women’s Health & Safety

• Mental Health & Wellness

• Tribal Sovereignty

• Indigenous Land Stewardship & Conservation

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Waste Management (Hazardous, Biodegradable, Consumer Products)

• Environmental Justice Education

Do you have a dream of seeing elders teach youth cultural ways of protecting the environment? Are you passionate about food sovereignty in Native communities? Do you have an idea to increase access to clean water or safe housing in your community? Would you love to see schools or youth programs teach about how unsafe environments adversely and disproportionately affect tribal communities and communities of color? Do you want to advocate for healthy and safe living conditions? We invite you to apply for a Dreamstarter grant to realize your dream!