CHANGEMAKER FELLOWSHIP

The NDN Changemaker Fellowship is a two-year fellowship designed to invest ($150,000 USD) in the visions, leadership, and personal and professional development of 21 Indigenous Changemakers working in their communities.

APPLICATION PORTAL

Opens May 1, 2024 and Closes on July 1, 2024 @ 5pm U.S. Central Standard Time (CST).

Registration is now closed.

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.
- Tina Kuckkahn, NDN Foundation Managing Director

CHANGEMAKER FELLOWSHIP PURPOSE & INTENT

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

The NDN Changemaker Fellowship was designed specifically to support individuals. Please see other NDN Collective grant programs and opportunities for organizations and communities.

GRANT AMOUNTS

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.

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, we must exercise our 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 AND BUILDING SKILLS

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 AND 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 AND 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.

ELIGIBILITY

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.

FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Changemaker Plan: Awarded fellows will turn their Full Applications into a Changemaker Plan with specifics on how fellows will fulfill the goals stated in their application.

Budget: Awarded fellows will be required to create a two year budget for the grant funds.

Virtual or In-person gatherings:

Attendance at four mandatory convenings over the fellowship years: the virtual Welcome & Orientation Convening, the Indigenous Leadership Training Retreat, a virtual convening at the close of Year 1 of the fellowship and a Final Showcase.

Reporting: A reporting guide will be provided to each fellow at the beginning of their fellowship. NDN Changemaker Fellows will be required to submit the following throughout the fellowship:

- short monthly reflections through the “Changemaker Journal” online,
- An Annual Report at the close of Year 1 of the Fellowship
- A Final Report at the end of Year 2 of the Fellowship

NDN Changemaker Alumni Circle (Optional):

All NDN Changemaker Fellows who successfully complete the fellowship may participate in the Alumni Network. Alumni can join a private, optional online community platform managed by NDN Collective to stay connected with other Fellows and share new resources and opportunities with one another.

HOW TO APPLY & HELPFUL HINTS

Registration is now closed.

Helpful hints:

Use a computer or laptop to complete registration, log-in and/or initial application as the Fluxx website is not optimized for mobile devices.
Chrome browser works best with the grant application online system.
Please be sure to register well in advance of the grant due date to ensure timely submission. Any attempts to register later than 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on June 26, 2024 does not guarantee submission by 5 p.m. CST due date on July 1, 2024.
Please ensure that your organizational information is correct, i.e.; contact information, email address; telephone number etc. Once it is submitted you cannot edit your profile information.
Once you’ve registered or logged in, you will receive information via email on how to access your portal and complete the application forms.
It is best to start working on your application well in advance of the deadline to accommodate any unforeseen circumstances and to allow yourself enough time to complete all required sections and upload supporting documents.
NDN cannot make any exceptions to the initial application/grant application due date. This includes incomplete applications, application mistakes due to user error, or faxed/emailed or mailed applications unless there has been prior approval by NDN Foundation staff.