Brave Heart Fellowship — Fellowship

Brave Heart is the environmental justice track of the Center for Native American Youth Fellowship at the Aspen Institute. It supports Native and Indigenous youth in Alaska, Northern California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington as they design community action projects concerning food sovereignty, traditional lands, waterways or sacred sites.

The 2026 program combines a shared CNAY curriculum and monthly online sessions with a mandatory kickoff convening in Palm Springs, California. Fellows receive training, mentorship and project support while working with peers, community members and subject-area leaders.

Benefits & funding

Micro-grant funding and technical assistance for an environmental community action project; CNAY does not publish the grant amount.
Sovereignty, leadership, advocacy, financial literacy, media and project-management learning.
Peer learning, mentorship and opportunities to share completed work.
CNAY covers lodging, travel and food for the mandatory kickoff convening.

Eligibility

Self-identify as Native or Indigenous.
Be 18–24 years old on March 1, 2026.
Reside in the United States and, for the Brave Heart track, specifically in Alaska, Northern California, Idaho, Oregon or Washington.
No degree, work-experience or gender requirement is published for Brave Heart.
Be able to attend the required in-person kickoff, monthly 60-minute Zoom sessions and a final project presentation.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Residence required
USA
Age requirement
18–24 yrs

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Application process

1
During an active call, select Brave Heart as the requested CNAY Fellowship cohort.
2
Confirm the age, identity and regional-residency requirements.
3
Prepare responses to two short-answer questions and a video response for the Brave Heart track.
4
Submit the online application by the published deadline; the extended 2026 deadline was January 18, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Program timeline

Extended application deadline.
January 18, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Selected Fellows notified.
Early February 2026
Fellowship begins.
March 1, 2026
Mandatory kickoff convening in Palm Springs, California.
March 26–29, 2026
Monthly 60-minute Zoom sessions and community action project work.
March–December 2026
Final project presentation.
Before December 31, 2026
Fellowship ends.
December 31, 2026