Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is cultivating the next generation of Native leaders through Dreamstarter®, a grant program for Native American youth with dreams for their communities.
For over a 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 Billy Mills’ (Oglala Lakota) Olympic victory, the program provides grants, mentorship, and hands-on support to Indigenous youth driving change in their communities. So far, Dreamstarter has awarded over $7.3 million in grants to 110 Native American youth across 78 tribal nations.
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.
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 to 10 Native American youth and their nonprofit mentor organizations to implement community projects inspired by their dreams. These grants fund initiatives across food sovereignty, language revitalization, environmental justice, health and wellness, and cultural preservation.
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.
The Dreamstarter Grant gives Native youth ages 18 to 30 $20,000 to bring a dream to life that uplifts their community. This year’s theme is Higher Education. We’re looking for projects that widen the path to and through higher education and bring graduates home to serve their communities.
Enrolled members of a state or federally recognized tribal nation, ages 18 to 30 at the time of application.
$20,000
Required. You’ll apply together with a registered 501(c)(3) or 7871 nonprofit, such as a school, nonprofit, or tribal organization working in Indian Country that you have a personal connection to.
You and your Mentor complete the application together and submit it with supporting documents, including a budget, a project timeline, letters of recommendation, proof of tribal enrollment, photos, and a short video. Selected Dreamstarters and Mentors are required to attend Dreamstarter Academy, April 19 to 23, 2027.
January 8, 2027
Applications are now open for the 2027 round of Dreamstarter grants.
Dreamstarter® grants are Native American youth grants awarded by Running Strong for American Indian YouthⓇ to young leaders pursuing community-based projects. The grant gives native youth ages 18 to 30 $20,000 to bring a dream to life. The Dreamstarter Academy GOLD provides grants of up to $50,000 for alumni scaling proven community projects.
Projects have spanned food sovereignty, language revitalization, environmental justice, health and wellness, and cultural preservation. Dreamstarter-founded organizations like Ekowah Coffee, Tribal Adaptive, and Indigi Arts now operate independently and continue serving their communities.
Since 2015, Running Strong has invested over $7.3 million in supporting Native American youth across 78 tribal nations, impacting more than 174,000 people.
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.
