Deadline to Apply: October 25, 2026

Cultural Survival is pleased to announce the 2027 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 growth. Fellows are encouraged to amplify community voices and bring attention to local issues within global dialogues through their projects.
 

Details of the Fellowship

• Fellowship amount: $2,500 to $5,000 USD (depending on the project size)
• Project duration: between 3 and 6 months
• Project realization period: April – October 2027

Timeline

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 2SLGBTIQ+ youth. Geographic diversity will also be considered in the selection process.

Eligible Regions for 2027

For 2027, we specifically welcome applications from the following regions:

• The Americas: United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, and Brazil

• Asia: Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines

• Africa: Mali, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, DRC, Republic of Congo

Project Proposal Requirements

Projects must: 

• Be 3 – 6 months in duration and implemented during the March–September 2027 execution period. 

• Focus on one or more of the following themes: 

  • Climate Change Solutions

    • Restoring ecosystems and biodiversity

    • Resistance to transitional mineral mining or protection, resistance, and solutions to impacts and threats from extractive industries, including transition minerals

    • Strengthening local resilience and local traditional knowledge, place-based solutions
       

  • Culture and Languages 

    • Strengthen culture bearers and language leaders

    • Cultural and artistic expression

    • Indigenous traditional knowledge transmission and revitalization, spirituality, ceremony, and self-governance
       

  • Lands and Livelihoods

    • Land defense and autonomy
    • Food sovereignty and cultivating Indigenous economies
    • Transmission of knowledge through the management and protection of traditional lands and territories
    • Indigenous rights and gender diversity

Eligible activities may vary depending on the project theme and can include skills training, workshops, infrastructure improvements, multimedia, craft and media projects, as well as other forms of community engagement and traditional knowledge strengthening.

How to Apply 

Submit a proposal concept through Good Grants (must create account first) by October 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. Fellowship selections will be announced on December 4, 2026, and the awarding of the fellowship funds will begin in January 2027. Projects may begin anytime after March 1, 2027.

Languages Accepted

We accept applications in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Resources

• Good Grants Form Link to Apply

• Download Informational Packet

• Frequently Asked Questions 

• Join Our Info Sessions:

  USA: October 15, 2026, at 3:00 pm ET.  Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/4uteyjd7

  América Latina: 15 de octubre, 9:00 am (hora de Colombia). Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/3wjsy5z8 

  Africa & Asia:  October 13, 2026, at 3:45 (Kathmandu time). Zoom: https://l1nq.com/h7ljxvw