This past week, at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development RES Conference, longtime Native leader and former Nike executive Sam McCracken announced the launch of a new nonprofit aimed at addressing the urgent mental, physical, and cultural health needs of Indigenous youth.
The newly formed Sam McCracken Youth Project (SMCYP) is a Native-led organization designed to expand access to culturally grounded wellness programming for Native youth across Indian Country. The initiative arrives at a time when Native communities continue to face disproportionate mental health challenges, including suicide, which remains one of the leading causes of death among Indigenous youth in North America.
McCracken said the project was created to respond directly to those realities by focusing on the protective power of culture, movement, and community connection.
“Native youth are our foundation,” McCracken said. “I created SMCYP to build the kinds of experiences that remind young people of the power in positive representation, strength in their culture, and the ability to play.”
SMCYP aims to serve more than 5,000 Native youth across 30 tribal communities within its first five years. Its first major activation is planned for summer 2026 in Montana, where programming will begin to take shape on the ground.
The organization will be led by Chief Executive Officer Nikki Santos, a nationally recognized Native leader with experience spanning federal policy, nonprofit leadership, and higher education. Santos previously served in the Biden-Harris administration and held leadership roles with the Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
“We are building something that Indian Country has been asking for — a trusted program that meets youth where they are and wraps them in culture, community, and care,” Santos said. “This launch is just the beginning, and I am honored to help bring Sam’s vision to life.”
Guided by a board that includes leaders from across Indian Country and the private sector, SMCYP will focus its work through four primary areas: youth wellness summits and community activations, community capacity building, policy and advocacy, and strategic partnerships.
McCracken, a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, is widely known for founding Nike’s N7 initiative, which has supported Native and Indigenous youth through sport and physical activity for decades. Through SMCYP, he is continuing that work in a new, independent model rooted in community leadership and Indigenous values.
Organizers say the goal is not only to expand programming, but to build a sustainable, culturally grounded approach to youth wellness—one that reflects the voices, strengths, and traditions of Native communities themselves.
