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Indigenous Youth Building Resilient Communities
Call for Project Proposals: 2026 Indigenous Youth Fellowship
Submission Deadline: September 30, 2025
Cultural Survival is pleased to announce the 2026 Call for Proposals for the Indigenous Youth Fellowship program. This initiative aims to strengthen cultural identity and enhance leadership skills among Indigenous youth. Since its launch in 2018, the program has awarded over 157 fellowships, positively impacting more than 350 Indigenous youth worldwide.
The fellowship provides financial support for youth-led projects that benefit Indigenous communities, along with opportunities for leadership development. Fellows are encouraged to amplify community voices and bring attention to local issues within global dialogues through their projects.
Fellowship Details
- Award Amount: $2,500 – $5,000 USD (depending on the scope of the project)
- Project Duration: between 3 and 6 months
- Execution Period: March – September 2026
Eligibility Criteria
This year’s fellowship will support Indigenous youth (individuals or groups) leading multidisciplinary, creative, and community-driven projects.
Applicants must:
- Be an Indigenous youth or group of youth between the ages of 18 and 28
- Be committed to working with Cultural Survival and meeting deadlines
- Be preferably fluent in or interested in learning an Indigenous language
- Not a former Cultural Survival Youth Fellow
Fellows will work closely with Cultural Survival staff and a local mentor, who will voluntarily offer guidance, encouragement, and feedback throughout the project. We prioritize gender balance and actively encourage applications from women and 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Geographic diversity will also be considered in the selection process.
Eligible Regions for 2026
In addition to the global open call, we especially welcome applications from the following regions:
- The Americas: with a focus on Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, and Guyana.
- Asia: with a focus on Bangladesh, Mongolia, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, and India
- Africa: with a focus on Chad, Cameroon, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, DRC, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Angola.
Project Proposal Requirements
- Be 3–6 months in duration and implemented during the March–September 2026 execution period
- Focus on one or more of the following themes:
- Climate Change Solutions
- Culture and Languages
- Lands and Livelihoods
Eligible activities may vary depending on the theme and can include capacity building, workshops, structure building, multimedia and media projects, or other forms of community engagement and knowledge sharing.
How to apply
Submit a proposal concept through the Google Form by September 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. Selected applicants will be notified via email by October 30, 2025, with instructions to submit a full proposal and detailed budget for the second round. Final fellowship selections will be announced in December 2025, and the award disbursement process will begin in January 2026. Projects may begin anytime after March 1, 2026.
Please ensure that the email address provided in your application is valid, regularly checked, and that your inbox is not full. Applications cannot be edited once submitted.
Applicants also have the option of submitting a 5-minute video or audio recording in response to the questions on the form. This can be uploaded directly within the same Google Form.
Languages Accepted
We accept applications in: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Nepali, Sunuwar, Hindi, Afrikaans, and French.
