Partnership will expand opportunities for Indigenous youth to lead community-driven change, access funding, build capacity, deepen relationships, and advance priorities shaped by their communities.
Indigenous Youth Roots (IYR) and the Mastercard Foundation announced a new five-year partnership designed to expand what is possible for Indigenous youth who are building solutions and leading change in their communities.
The partnership will strengthen IYR's capacity to support Indigenous youth-led organizations and grassroots groups, while creating more opportunities for Indigenous youth to access funding, build skills, deepen relationships, engage in policy and research, and learn from and alongside one another. It includes an investment of approximately $29 million over five years.
“Indigenous youth are already leading change in their communities,” said Conrad Prince, Executive Director of Indigenous Youth Roots.
“This partnership is a significant investment in Indigenous youth leadership and reflects a shared belief that Indigenous youth are best positioned to identify priorities, develop solutions, and shape stronger futures for their communities.”
Through the partnership, IYR will expand key programs and initiatives, while supporting gatherings, mentorship, capacity-building, and relationship-building opportunities for Indigenous youth-led organizations and grassroots groups.
“Indigenous youth are powerful agents of change for their communities, Nations, and Canada as a whole,” said Jennifer Brennan, Senior Director, Canada Programs at the Mastercard Foundation.
“When Indigenous youth have the supports and resources to lead, they create lasting change. We’re proud to partner with Indigenous Youth Roots to grow the important work they are doing connecting young people with the relationships, opportunities, and skills to shape a sustainable and prosperous future for all.”
Over five years, the partnership will directly reach almost 6,000 Indigenous youth and indirectly reach over 50,000 through funded projects and organizations, and support 250 Indigenous youth-led organizations and groups with funding and wraparound support to strengthen capacity, stability, and community impact from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
IYR National Gathering, Whitehorse, July 2025.
Since 2019, IYR’s granting program has distributed more than $9 million to just over 500 Indigenous youth-led groups. Demand continues to exceed available funding, with more than 1,000 applications requesting over $33 million. This partnership responds to what Indigenous youth and youth-led groups have shared directly: stable, accessible, and trust-based funding is essential to sustaining and scaling youth-led work.
“Many of us came to IYR as young people ourselves and have grown alongside this work. We know what becomes possible when Indigenous youth are trusted, resourced, and supported over time,” said Megan Lewis, Director of the Centre for Indigenous Policy and Research at IYR. “This partnership matters because it moves beyond saying Indigenous youth leadership is important and helps back that with meaningful, long-term commitment. At its core, this work is relational. It is about supporting the ideas, relationships, and community-rooted leadership Indigenous youth are already carrying forward. We can’t wait to continue learning from and working alongside them.”
This partnership will create more space for Indigenous youth to lead, connect, learn, and advance ideas rooted in their communities’ needs and realities, supporting Indigenous young people to live Mino Bimaadiziwin, “a good life” in the Anishinaabe language. Through expanded funding, mentorship, research, policy, and capacity-building opportunities, IYR will help more Indigenous youth and youth-led groups respond to community priorities, create new pathways to education and employment, and shape the decisions and systems that affect their futures.