Tribal Youth Initiative Program

BFWR is not currently accepting project proposals for funding. Please check back regularly as the 2027 Request for Funding Proposals (RFP) and application dates will be posted soon.

Federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal Organizations may submit project proposals to the Tribal Youth Initiative (TYI) Program contact at their Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Regional Office. Project proposals are scored according to published ranking criteria, with the highest-scoring projects receiving funding.

Project proposals may be inclusive of Tribal youth up to and including 26 years of age.

Each application may request between $2,000 - $50,000 in project funding.

Detailed information on what to include in your project proposal, ranking criteria, and information on BIA Regional Office TYI Program contacts can be found in the annual application linked below.

• 2026 Tribal Youth Initiative Ranking Criteria and Application Process

Impacting Tribal Youth in the Northwest Region

Nez Perce Tribe: INTERWET Program

The Nez Perce Tribe's Wetlands Program established an educational program for youth that incorporates wetland science, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and natural resource management skills. This INTERWET program introduces youth to natural resource career opportunities and fosters an interest in pursuing careers in natural resource fields. Students receive hands-on activities and are encouraged to utilize an interdisciplinary approach to natural resource management and problem-solving. INTERWET teaches the importance of wetland and riparian areas, which instills the cultural significance of natural resource to the Nez Perce people and the valuable environmental services they provide on the Nez Perce Reservation, nationally, and globally.

Nez Perce Tribal youth engage in hands-on natural resource management activities with NPDNR staff. At left, Tribal GIS Analyst demonstrates the use of drone technology in natural resource management during a career day field trip. At right, Nez Perce high school students assist Water Resources and Fisheries Watershed staff with planting trees to enhance riparian habitat and provide food and foraging opportunities for beaver.

Youth groups are comprised of the local high school science classes and the Boys and Girls Club. Students meet and work with staff from several Nez Perce Department of Natural Resource (NPDNR) programs. Projects completed with the high schoolers include Natural Resource Career Days, classroom presentations and curriculum focused on beaver introduction and salmon, studying the impacts of invertebrates on water resources, and guided recreational field trips. The Boys and Girls Club students gained experience in traditional plant gathering, participated in field trips focused on salmon and pollinators, and created artwork through abstract paintings using rocks and plant materials gathered from their field trips.

Nez Perce Boys and Girls Club youth showcase creativity while exploring connections between art, culture, and the natural environment. At left, students create abstract artwork using plant materials collected during a field trip focused on pollinator habitats and riparian ecosystems. At right, youth paint rocks gathered during a hike and arrange them into salmon-inspired art pieces. The completed rock salmon from this project are displayed along the Tribe's Lapwai Nature Trail, highlighting the cultural and ecological importance of salmon.

Lummi Nation: Protecting Our Shelangen

The Lummi Nation (Lhaq'temish, or People of the Sea) are known as salmon people and are the largest fishing tribe in Puget Sound. The Tribe's outreach division works with Tribal youth grades K-12 to provide hands-on natural resource-related experiences, including in-class activities and field excursions. These projects strive to interest and train Tribal youth so that they may continue preserving and protecting Shelangen (way of life) for their people. Youth are connected to their Shelangen with experience in working with salmon, shellfish, land, water, and people.

Youth from the Lummi Nation School and Ferndale High School Aquaculture programs gain hands-on fisheries experience while assisting with Skookum Hatchery operations. At left, a Tribal elder and mentor demonstrates how to sort and select salmon eggs for spawning. At right, students work together to fertilize coho salmon eggs as part of the hatchery's salmon propagation efforts, helping support future salmon populations while building practical aquaculture skills.

During the school year, students participated in field trips to spawn salmon at Skookum Hatchery, harvest cedar in the mountains, explore Bellingham Technical College's Fisheries & Aquaculture Program, experience the Lummi Seafood Market, visit Matia Island to plant camas, and collaborate with Northwest Indian College's Bachelors of Native Environmental Science faculty and students on a trip to Sucia Island.

Throughout the summer, Lummi Natural Resources (LNR) hosts and trains 2-4 summer high school workers within several divisions such as Aquatic Invasive Species, Salmon Enhancement, Outreach, and Harvest Management. Twice a year, young adults are also hired to work as 90-Day Fisheries Technicians to gain experience in natural resources. This pathway, rooted in relationships with the youth, gives young adults a clear avenue to work at LNR.

Lummi Natural Resource summer interns completing salmon spawning ground surveys.