Launched by Partners for Rural Impact and Clear Creek Creative, and shaped in partnership with Liberation in a Generation and Native Americans in Philanthropy, Rural Youth Leaders (RYL) is designed to uplift and invest in the leadership of creative young people and the cultural stewards who support them in rural communities.
Donor Name: Partners for Rural Impact
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/16/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Rural Youth Leaders is launching two groundbreaking programs this year:
Youth Fellowship for emerging leaders aged 18-24 who are:
- engaged in creative arts and cultural traditions
- invested in supporting & strengthening their rural places
- committed to their own success & the success of their communities
- capable and willing to lead in the rural place they call home.
Stewards Network for the people who steward and support creative young leaders in their local communities including educators, artists, culture bearers, creative practitioners, and any other youth advocate who uses creative practices and/or cultural traditions to support rural young people of any age.
What RYL Provides?
Through this inaugural RYL program, young people and stewards will receive:
- Leadership development grounded in creative arts and cultural traditions that build the skills and capacity to lead and uplift their communities
- Mentorship from program facilitators and stakeholders who share their passion for using creativity as a tool for change
- Funding including $2,500 stipends for each youth fellow and $10,000 to support the cultural steward and nominating organization
- Project guidance to initiate and implement a community-building project of their own design
- National networks of peer support for both youth participants and cultural stewards
- Opportunities to inform and influence narratives, policy agendas, strategies and power-building of stakeholder organizations and funding partners
- A great chance to make an impact as creative changemakers in their own community and nationally!
Who may apply?
In 2025-26, they will invite teams from 6 rural communities across the U.S. and tribal nations to join the inaugural RYL cohort. Each rural community team consists of:
- 2 emerging leaders aged 18-24 who engage in creative arts and cultural traditions who will participate in the youth fellowship
- 1 cultural steward committed to mentor the 2 youth leaders and accompany them in the fellowship
- 1 nominating organization that agrees to be a backbone of support for the youth leaders and steward as they pursue the fellowship and their local community project
The 2 emerging leaders from each rural community will join a youth cohort that journeys through the fellowship experience together. The cultural stewards will accompany their 2 youth in the fellowship and build a peer cohort as well which will become the basis for building a broader national stewards network over time.
For more information, visit Partners for Rural Impact.
