Brave Heart Fellowship Grant

Brave Heart Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: The Aspen Institute Inc
Last Updated: December 04, 2025

Summary

The Brave Heart Fellowship, initiated by the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, empowers Native youth aged 18-24 to lead in environmental justice and food sovereignty efforts. This 9-month program offers a culturally-competent curriculum and promotes advocacy for protecting traditional lands and sacred sites. By uplifting Indigenous voices, the fellowship addresses inequities and fosters community engagement, aiming for a sustainable future rooted in Native culture and leadership.

Overview

Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute Founded in 2011, the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute is a national education and advocacy organization that works alongside Native youth — ages 24 and under — on reservations, in rural villages and urban spaces across the country to improve their health, safety and overall well-being. Our Mission Our mission at the Center for Native American Youth – as an education and advocacy organization – is to improve the health, safety, and overall well-being of Native American Youth. Our Vision Rooted in culture, our vision is for all Native American youth to lead full and healthy lives, be honored for the leaders they are, and have resources and agency to create the world Native youth are worthy of and deserve. Brave Heart Fellowship The Brave Heart track of the CNAY Fellowship program centers Native youth (ages 18-24) in environmental justice efforts by equipping them to advocate for and mobilize their communities to advance food sovereignty and protect traditional lands, waterways and sacred sites – preserving Native culture, paving the way for an Indigenous-led future and protecting the Earth for all. This 9-month regional program supports youth-led change through a culturally-competent curriculum, intergenerational learning space and promotion of policy change at the tribal, local, state and national level. CNAY Fellows work alongside community members and like-minded organizations to address how issues of man-made disruption, climate change and natural disasters have impacted the land beneath our feet.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Submission EligibilitySelf-identify as Native or IndigenousBetween the ages of 18- and 24-years-old Currently reside in Alaska, (Northern) California, Idaho, Oregon or Washington