Open call for Changemaker Fellowship

These Changemakers are responding to a spiritual and cultural call to action, bringing all of the gifts that they carry to create something greater than themselves by protecting the water, the land, and Indigenous sovereignty.

They believe that their people have the creativity, innovation, and determination to build healthy, resilient futures; defending the homelands and rights, developing model regenerative Nations, and decolonizing and healing the communities and families.

Program Components

• The grant application includes questions of Fellowship’s required components including Theory of Change Mapping, Education & Skill Building, Healing & Wellbeing, Mentorship and Coaching, and Network & Community Building.
  • Theory of Change Mapping
    • Indigenous leaders must have a bold vision for the world they are working to create as well as a theory for how they will get there. This will help fellows increase their depth of understanding of their work and enable them to continue to refine and increase their impact. For example, NDN Collective’s guiding Theory of Change is that in order to build the collective power of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and Nations, they must exercise their inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the and Mother Earth.
    • Applicants are required to create and submit their own individual Theory of Change, which encapsulates their philosophy for how they believe they can ignite change in the world.
  • Education & Skill Building
    • It is vital that Indigenous changemakers obtain the education and skills they need to be successful in implementing their work and vision. Each Changemaker Fellow will engage in skill-building or education programs during the fellowship. This can range from pursuing formal education or community-based education such as revitalizing cultural-based practices, grant writing, facilitation, community engagement, etc. Applicants will need to submit skills they would like to develop over the course of the fellowship to contribute to their effectiveness as a leader.
  • Healing & Wellbeing
    • Indigenous changemakers take on the pain and struggle of their communities, oftentimes at the expense of caring for themselves. The reality is that their own wellbeing is fundamental to sustaining their leadership and creating impact in the world. Applicants will be asked to submit their personal physical, social, spiritual, and emotional healing and wellbeing plan they would like to invest in during the fellowship.
  • Mentorship and Coaching
    • Mentorship and coaching are fundamental to the development of strong Indigenous leaders, and can lead to increases in goal attainment, wellbeing, and overall leadership effectiveness. Applicants will be required to engage with a mentor and/or coach of their choosing at least four times (once per quarter) during the fellowship. Mentors can range from an elder or spiritual leader from your community to a professional executive coach.
  • Network & Community Building
    • To continue learning, growing, and creating social change, it is essential for Indigenous changemakers to have a strong community and network.  Changemaker Fellows will be required to work towards creating, expanding, and/or strengthening their network(s) and building of community throughout the fellowship.

Funding Information

• NDN Changemakers will receive flexible grant awards of $150,000 USD ($75,000 per year) to provide direct support in their NDN Changemaker Fellowship, leadership development, and work in their communities.

Who can apply?

• NDN Changemaker Fellowship provides support to Indigenous peoples (individuals) whose work, goals and intentions align with the NDN mission, values, core principles and strategies. NDN grantmaking is intended to honor and advance the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples.
• Align with NDN Collective’s mission to build the collective power of Indigenous peoples, communities, and Nations to exercise their inherent right to self-determination, while fostering a world that is built on a foundation of justice and equity for all people and the planet.
• This opportunity is open to individual Indigenous Peoples, 18 years of age and over, who are Indigenous to and residing in the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Islands of Hawaii, Borikén/Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Be at least 18 years of age by the time the Fellowship begins.

For more information, visit NDN Collective.