About American Indian Youth Running Strong
Running Strong strengthens Native American youth by creating sustainable generational change and giving families the tools and hope to build a better life.
Focus Areas
Clean WaterFood SovereigntyEducationCulture & LanguageYouth DevelopmentHealth & WellnessWinter WarmthMicroenterprise DevelopmentEnvironmental JusticeThe Arts
Who They Fund
American Indian / Indigenous communitiesIndigenous youth and childrenAspiring youth microentrepreneursLow-income households needing utilities assistance
About American Indian Youth Running Strong
American Indian Youth Running Strong Inc centers its giving on Native youth and tribal communities, with grants that move from immediate family assistance to longer-term youth and cultural support. A clear pattern in the recent grants is its sustained support for reservation-based community needs: Pine Ridge Reservation Districts received $1,544,001 in 2024 for water and utilities assistance, following $1,300,159 in 2023 for the same purpose. That scale sits alongside major support for Oyate Teca Project in Kyle, South Dakota, which received $2,013,951 in 2024 for garden, youth and cultural support and $977,531 in 2023 for the same area. The foundation also funds culturally specific organizations such as Brave Heart Society in Lake Andes, South Dakota, which received $521,325 in 2024 and $591,300 in 2023 for cultural support. Its grantmaking combines direct service, youth development, and cultural preservation across tribal nations in the United States.
What American Indian Youth Running Strong Funds
Health and wellness is one active program area, with direct support for health access, wellness, healing, and community health in Native communities. Youth development also appears prominently through school-based and youth-serving support; for example, Cheyenne River Reservation Districts in Eagle Butte, South Dakota received $429,564 in 2024 for youth support and food. Cultural and language preservation is another recurring theme. Xinewh-ding Inc in Hoopa, California received $96,806 in 2024 for language support, while Euchee Language Project in Sapulpa, Oklahoma received $75,744 in 2023 for the same purpose. The foundation also funds media and outreach, including $80,510 in 2024 to She Carries Her House Productions in Reno, Nevada for media support.
How American Indian Youth Running Strong Gives
Typical grants cluster around mid-five figures, with a p25 of $10,000, median of $35,000, and p75 of $77,192. The recent grants list shows a wide spread from smaller school and holiday awards to seven-figure direct-service grants. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Pine Ridge Reservation Districts, Oyate Teca Project, Brave Heart Society, Cheyenne River Reservation Districts, Wakpala School, Nebo School District, Biiluuke Strong, and Today We Follow-tomorrow We Lead. The foundation is an operating grantmaker, not a fund for individuals, and it makes no program-related investments. Every listed grant in the dataset went to U.S. recipients, and the active programs shown do not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.2M
Total Assets
$9.6M
Total Revenue
$8.6M
Total Expenses
$8.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $77K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$77K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in KS.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
BRYAN L KRIZEK
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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