Kindness is a leadership superpower.
Riley's Way gives young people the skills, funding, mentorship, and community to lead with kindness and turn bold ideas into real change.
young leaders
invested
states
$5M+
5,000+
45
Kind leaders don't just manage, they ignite. At Riley's Way, we believe kindness is the most essential and most underestimated leadership superpower. Our programs give you the skills, funding, and community to prove it.
Every program is fully funded. The only thing you need is the courage to try.
OUR PROGRAMS
CALL FOR KINDNESS FELLOWSHIP
Your idea, funded. Your leadership, developed.
Got a project that could make your school, neighborhood, or community kinder? The Fellowship gives you up to $5,000 in funding, a full year of workshops and mentorship, and a national network of youth changemakers to grow alongside. You don't need a perfect plan, just a real idea and the drive to see it through.
Ages | 13 to 23
Funding | Up to $5,000
Format | Year-long, virtual + in-person summit
YOUTH LEADERSHIP RETREAT
A weekend that changes how you see yourself.
Every year, 120+ high schoolers from across the country come together for a free, fully funded weekend of leadership development, genuine connection, and real fun. Workshops, campfires, small-group conversations, and activities that push you to show up as exactly who you are. Most people leave saying it's the best thing they've ever done.
Ages | 15 to 18
Cost | Free, travel included
Format | Weekend retreat, Roscoe NY
RILEY’S WAY CLUBS
Start something in your school that actually lasts.
Riley's Way Clubs are student-led groups that bring kindness and inclusive leadership into everyday school life. Members run two projects each year: one that strengthens school culture, one that serves the wider community. You'll build leadership skills, real relationships, and a space where people feel like they belong.
Ages | High school students
Funding | Up to $250
Format | Year-long, school-based
Kind Leader Network
A community of kind leaders, at every stage
Most leadership experiences are a moment. The Kind Leader Network is a continuum — connecting young people and alumni through mentorship, funding, events, and shared values that last well beyond any single program.
Mentorship
Peer and expert guidance, plus chances to give back as you grow*
Up to $500 for leadership, service, or professional development*
Funding
Quarterly workshops, fireside chats, and regional community meetups
Events
Internships, grants, and networking through the Kind Connects database
Careers
Riley’s Way has shown me that leadership rooted in kindness is not only possible but transformative.
“
*Eligibility is restricted by previous program participation.
Shi’nell L., age 16
Kind leaders create kind leaders. That's how you change the world.
Since 2014, Riley's Way has invested over $5 million in more than 5,000 young leaders across 45 states. Their projects, relationships, and values have reached 5.5 million people worldwide. And the impact keeps growing. In the communities young people return to, the teams they build, and the leaders they go on to become.
150+
youth-led projects funded every year through the fellowship
150
high schoolers attend the fully funded Retreat each year
24K
hours of leadership training delivered annually
Invest in the next generation of kind leaders.
Every Riley's Way program is completely free for participants. Travel, meals, project funding, mentorship — all of it covered, so that background and financial circumstance are never what determines who gets to lead. That's only possible because of people who believe kindness is worth investing in.