"Nike offering sports grants to native youth"

By TRT Staff

WASHINGTON,DC - As a part of President Obama's Generation Indigenous initiative, Nike, Inc. and the N7 Fund has partnered with the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) to extend grant opportunities as a resource for Native youth leaders promoting health and wellness through sport and physical activity in their community.

Generation Indigenous, aka Gen-I, is an initiative to help improve the lives of Native youth and to cultivate the next generation of Native leaders. Gen-I includes new investments and policies to expand educational, employment, and health and social services for Native youth. CNAY, along with the Department of the Interior, have partnered to launch a National Native Youth Network. Through this Network, CNAY has engaged over 2,000 Native youth from across the country in 2015.

Sam McCracken, CNAY board member and General Manager of Nike's N7 Programs, announced this new funding opportunity at the first-ever White House Tribal Youth Gathering on July 9. During the Gathering, which brought over 1,000 Native youth from across the country to Washington, DC, McCracken remarked, "N7 has allocated resources for Native youth as a part of N7's commitment to Gen-I. We created this opportunity in partnership with the Center for Native American Youth to bring sport and all of its benefits to Gen-I and to create further opportunities for future generations."

The National Native Youth Network, a part of Gen-I, is aimed at providing a sustainable platform to engage and educational, leadership, and funding opportunities to Native American youth across the United States. This partnership, between CNAY and Nike to provide youth an opportunity to secure funding for wellness and activity programs, is an example of how the Network is expanding opportunities for and bringing more resources to the 2.1 million Native American youth.

Native youth can now apply for up to $10,000 in funding for their programs and initiatives through the N7 Fund website n7fund.com. Canadian applications are also accepted, however restricted to non-profit organizations.

"I am inspired by Sam McCracken's leadership and passion for making a difference in the lives of Native children through sport," said Erin bailey, Executive Director of the Center for Native American Youth, a policy program at the Aspen Institute. "Nike N7 represents a positive outlet and brand to many and we are excited about their continued work to support Native youth through the Network."