Hope Gamble (Diné) of Nazlini, Arizona, was just 14 years old when she was selected as one of the youngest Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarters in 2019. That year’s Dreamstarter theme was Entrepreneurship, and she used her $10,000 grant to pursue her dream of H.O.P.E. (Heroes of Positive Endurance), intended as a way to create new Navajo Nation...
Dreamstarter Creative was first announced in 2021 as a Dreamstarter companion program specifically designed to support Native American arts, crafts, and creativity. So far, we have granted a total of $50,000 to 20 Native American artists to support their artistic journeys. Past grants have supported artists in learning new skills, starting and growing businesses...
Art is intertwined with much of native culture and tradition. That is why Running Strong provides grants to native artists to create, innovate, and share their artistic expression with their communities. These 2023 Dreamstarter Creative grant recipients each have uniquely crafted artistry to share the interplay between art and the native community. Joe Harjo Joe...
In August 2022, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® announced a new, exciting expansion of our Dreamstarter® program –Dreamstarter Incubator – designed to continue supporting the dreams of Native communities for the long term after their original Dreamstarter projects have concluded. Our first Dreamstarter Incubator is Dreamstarter entrepreneur Josh Smith from...
As a follower of Running Strong you likely know the story of our Dreamstarter program; inspired by Billy’s Dream, we created the Dreamstarter program to uplift the next generation of American Indian youth, and help make their dreams come true through a combination of financial support, hands-on mentorship, networking, and communications training. Since 2015, Running...