How can Native innovators in the US build upon traditional knowledge and technology to meet the social, environmental, and economic goals of their communities?

NOTE: This Challenge is looking for Native innovators from within the United States and its territories. 

As we start the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Native communities in the US have remained some of the most resilient despite being some of the most vulnerable due to historical and present-day institutionalized injustices. The pandemic not only created new challenges in tribal communities, as it did around the world, but it also exacerbated existing inequities ranging from health services to schooling, infrastructure, and beyond. In addition to unbroken generations of tribal leadership, there is still a great need for continued innovation and the revitalization of traditional practices to heal and strengthen communities.

Disruptions in services for youth and the elderly, coupled with crippling global supply chain shortages, have left family caregivers with little support trying to feed, educate, and nurture their families while maintaining their income. Moreover, the unprecedented levels of isolation and the inability to gather for traditional practices have increased the need for innovative mental health interventions and culturally-informed services for individuals of all ages. The food shortages and grid failures sweeping the country underscore the importance of sovereign food and energy for tribal communities. Finally, while not a solution itself, new and long overdue streams of government relief funding, including the American Rescue Plan Act, offer Indigenous entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to shape one of the largest investments in tribal communities in American history through innovative pursuits and community action.

The MIT Solve community is looking for eight technology-based solutions that help Native communities in the US thrive. To that end, Solve seeks solutions that:

• Drive positive outcomes for Native learners of any or all ages while supporting culturally grounded educational opportunities on and/or off reservations.

• Promote holistic and culturally informed mental or physical health programming for Native youth, elders, or families, including but not limited to, foster youth, veterans, and families with members who are disabled.

• Strengthen sustainable energy sovereignty and support climate resilience initiatives by and for Indigenous peoples.

• Support the creation, growth, and success of Native-owned businesses and promote workforce programs in tribal communities.

The Fellowship brief and its dimensions were drafted in consultation with Indigenous partners and community members. 

MIT Solve - Solver Award 

All Solver teams selected for Solve’s Global Challenges and the Indigenous Communities Fellowship will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve.

The GSR Prize

GSR will award a prize to solutions that use innovative technology and, in particular, blockchain solutions to address pressing issues in their communities and the world. As a leading cryptocurrency trading firm, GSR seeks to advance education, promote equality of opportunity, and contribute to a sustainable world, emphasizing blockchain and innovative technology-powered solutions. Up to $200,000 will be awarded across Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The Living Proof Prize: Women's Leadership Solutions

The Living Proof Prize is open to women-led teams that are using innovative approaches to solve challenges across economic prosperity, health, learning, and sustainability. The prize is funded by Living Proof, a haircare company at the crossroads of innovation and real-world results that is committed to social impact. Up to $100,000 will be granted across up to four Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The GM Prize

The GM Prize is open to solutions that help create smart, safe, and sustainable communities around the world. The Prize is funded by General Motors, which is working toward becoming the most inclusive company in the world and is dedicated to making STEM education more accessible and equitable. Up to $150,000 will be granted to up to six Solver teams from the Re-engaging Learners Challenge, the Climate: Ecosystems + Housing Challenge, and the 2022 Indigenous Communities Fellowship.

Heifer International Prize for Innovation for Smallholder Agriculture

The Heifer International Prize is open to solutions that support smallholder farmers to grow and scale their businesses and protect them from the adverse effects of climate change. The prize is funded by Heifer International, an international development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities. Up to $250,000 will be granted across several Solver teams from any 2022 Global Challenge or any earlier Solve Global Challenge.

The Elevate Prize

The Elevate Prize will be awarded to one non-profit Solver team from any 2022 Global Challenge or any earlier Solve Global Challenge. This prize is supported by The Elevate Prize Foundation, which has a mission of amplifying the work of impact leaders for social good and driving change together. The Solver team that is selected will participate in both the MIT Solver program and the Elevate Prize program, receiving a minimum of $300,000 over two years and ongoing support from The Elevate Prize Foundation and MIT Solve.

The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion

The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion is open to solutions that advance the economic, financial, and political inclusion of refugees. The prize is funded by Andan Foundation, a Swiss non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting solutions that promote refugee resilience, self-reliance and integration. Up to $100,000 will be granted across up to four Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

The Innovation for Women Prize

The Innovation for Women Prize is open to solutions that use innovative technology to empower and enrich the lives of women and girls. The prize will be awarded to women-led, tech-powered solutions that aim to elevate women's voices and support positive and sustainable change in communities around the world. Up to $75,000 will be awarded across up to three Solver teams from the 2022 Global Challenges.

AI for Humanity Prize

The AI for Humanity Prize is open to solutions leveraging data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity, as well as to those planning to utilize these technologies to amplify their impact. The prize is made possible by The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropy committed to advancing AI and data solutions to create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Up to $150,000 in funding will be awarded across several Solver teams from any of Solve’s 2022 Global Challenges.

About the Fellowship

In 2017, four of the Water Protectors of Standing Rock leadership came to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as finalists for the MIT Media Lab Disobedience Awards, which recognize individuals and groups who engage in ethical, nonviolent acts of disobedience in service of society.

The Water Protectors of Standing Rock were honored for bringing together the largest gathering of Native Tribes in more than a century to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

As Water Protectors Phyllis Young and LaDonna Brave Bull Allard accepted the Award, Phyllis challenged MIT, saying “I know MIT is the brass ring of technology, and I’m seeking a partnership. I’m not content to go home with this [award] … The rhetoric is over in America; it’s time for action.”  

This call to action sparked the MIT Indigenous Communities Fellowship, co-founded by MIT Solve, the Priscilla King Gray (PKG) Public Service Center, and shift7 leadership. Annually for four years now, the Fellowship has launched open calls for applications from Indigenous innovators -- the first year focused on Oceti Sakowin; the second expanded to include the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribes; and the third and fourth year have invited all American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiians to apply.

Cohorts of 6 to 8 teams have been selected each year, and each provided with a $10,000 grant and a year of mentorship from this MIT Solve community, which includes a growing group of advisors and partners.

First and foremost, Solve in collaboration with shift7 and our partners aim to establish a foundation of trust and partnership in the communities with which it works. Accordingly, each year the Fellowship theme selection is informed and co-led by the communities it intends to support.

Below are some resources to learn more followed by a comprehensive history of the MIT Solve Indigenous Community Fellowship convenings sharing links to videos and other resources from those events. Regular convenings have complemented the broader Fellowship programming in enabling knowledge sharing and networking opportunities in line with the Indigenous innovators’ interests and welcome partners from all communities.

Learn more about the past cohorts of innovators:

• 2018 
• 2019
• 2020
• Apply for the 2021 cohort through June 3 here.

History of Indigenous Communities Fellowship Convenings

After the call for partnership from Phyllis Young, initial planning conversations were held in the fall of 2017 at MIT, followed by MIT and shift7 teams travelling to Standing Rock for an Energy Summit and to the Navajo Nation for additional discussions. Later in 2018, MIT Solve launched a pilot Fellowship with the Oceti Sakowin community focused on sustainability. Six Fellows were selected with projects ranging from renewable solar energy to community gardening courses. Fellows attended Solve’s flagship event, Solve at MIT, in Cambridge in May 2018 to share their work and network with potential partners across the Solve community, and gathered for further collaboration in August 2018 in Standing Rock.

Concurrently, the MIT Priscilla King Grey Center partnered with the MIT Terrascope Program, a first-year learning community, creating an indigenous-centered curriculum for student engagement, “Tradition, Technology and Transition: Water Security on the Navajo Nation.”

Utilizing these institutes and additional connections,  in 2019, the Fellowship opportunity was able to expand to include Oceti Sakowin, Navajo Nation, and Hopi Tribe communities in the United States. The 2019 Fellowship group joined the annual Solve Summit in May and then met for a weekend collaboration workshop in Pine Ridge in October 2020 (highlights) together with partners from philanthropy, academia and business. 

In 2020, through a partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP), Solve was able to expand the third year of the Fellowship across the entire US. An online summit gathering was held in February 2021, with Fellows from all years invited to participate. The 2020 Fellows will also join the upcoming virtual Solve at MIT event in May 2021.