NLYF was founded by former NFL place kicker, Nick Lowery. Programs that NLYF has worked to promote include: Adult Role Models for Youth (ARMY), Youthfriends, Native Vision, and Nation Building for Native Youth (NBNY). The Foundation′s newest program, NEXT (“New Extraordinary Examples of Trascendant” Leadership) is a program that will use the metaphor of tribal sovereignty and self-determination to develop the future generation of leaders among a broad sector of American youth in both cities and rural areas.

NLYF works with diverse coalitions of families, tribes, communities, schools, businesses, organizations and foundations on a local, regional and national basis to work with youth of all kinds of learning styles and backgrounds. NLYF strongly believes that everyone has leadership potential regardless of personality style. The key is developing self-awareness and confidence and practicing skills that enable people to successfully operate alone, in teams and groups and within the larger community or organization. All NLYF programs include a cultural heritage paradigm that the world demands today.