Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is cultivating the next generation of Native leaders. We believe in the dreams of young Native Americans to create stronger communities and build a better tomorrow for themselves and their communities.
Over the past decade, Running Strong for American Indian Youth®’s Dreamstarter Program has transformed lives and systems across Indian Country. Launched in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of by Billy Mills’ (Oglala Lakota) Olympic victory, the program has become a catalyst for systemic change.
Dreamstarter has done more than fund individual projects — it has cultivated a generation of Indigenous leaders who now serve as educators, entrepreneurs, scientists, and community organizers.
These Dreamstarters not only realized personal dreams but sparked ripple effects within their communities, creating new organizations, mentorship networks, and cultural revitalization initiatives.
Dreamstarter has been instrumental in preserving Indigenous languages, cultural arts, and traditional knowledge systems. Projects have created immersive language camps, traditional arts collectives, and cultural education initiatives that reconnect youth to their heritage.
The Dreamstarter network has helped reduce health disparities and increase access to education in tribal communities.
From restoring rivers to launching renewable energy systems, Dreamstarters are leading the Indigenous climate justice movement
10 YEARS OF DATA
A decade later, the outcomes of Dreamstarter’s strategic model are measurable:
Increase in Indigenous language speakers through revitalization programs.
Higher graduation and college enrollment rates among Dreamstarter youth and their mentees.
Higher graduation and college enrollment rates among Dreamstarter youth and their mentees.
Sustainable organizations like Tribal Adaptive, Ekowah Coffee, Xinewh:ding, Apsaalooke Immiio, and Indigi Arts are Dreamstarter founded and now operate independently and continue serving communities beyond their initial grants.
2027 is a year for the dreams that begin in classrooms, libraries, lecture halls, and tribal colleges — and the Native youth who carry those dreams home. 2027 Dreamstarter projects will focus on opening the path to higher education, empowering Native youth, and bringing knowledge home to strengthen our communities.
Higher education has always been a site of both struggle and possibility for Native peoples. From the boarding-school era to today’s universities, formal education has not always served our communities — and yet Native scholars, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and tribal leaders have continually used it, reshaped it, and brought it home. Tribal Colleges and Universities, founded by Native nations to educate Native students on Native terms, anchor a growing movement of educational sovereignty. In every generation, more Native young people are walking onto campuses, claiming space in classrooms, and building institutions that reflect who we are.
The 2027 Dreamstarter cohort will focus on Higher Education and support Native youth working to widen the path to and through education bayond High School — for themselves, for their peers, and for the generations coming behind them. We’re looking for projects that close access gaps, strengthen retention, honor Indigenous knowledge, and bring graduates back to serve their communities. Tell us about the dream that helps a young person reach graduation — and the one that calls them home afterward.
Each year, Running Strong awards grants for Native American students to 10 youth and their non-profit mentor organizations to implement projects inspired by their dreams for their communities.
Current Cycle
Dreamstarter 2027 applications are now open! We are looking for Native Youth with a passion for their community, and a love for higher education. Click “Apply Now” to learn more!
In 2025, we selected five Dreamstarters to receive $50,000 grants to expand upon their original dreams and create lasting impact for Indigenous communities.
Impact Level
Advanced funding for scaling proven community projects.
Check out the most recent updates on your favorite Dreamstarters as they report on their projects, submit photos of their progress, and keep the dream alive.
