National Park Foundation Receives Its Largest Grant Ever

The U.S. National Park Foundation has received a $100 million grant, the largest in the foundation’s history, from Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation. The grant is also the largest ever to benefit national parks, according to the National Park Foundation.

As The Associated Press reported, the grant funding will go toward the more than 400 U.S. National Park System (NPS) units, which include national parks, monuments, reserves, recreation areas and more for conservation and visitor improvements.

“This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come,” Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, said in a press release.

The funding is part of The Campaign for National Parks, a $1 billion fundraising drive for the parks. 

“Our founders were inspired by the beauty and wonders of the natural world and supportive of research and educational programs about archaeology and the cultural history of our nation,” N. Clay Robbins, chairman and CEO of Lilly Endowment, shared in a statement. “We are pleased therefore to further their interests through this grant. We believe the National Park Foundation’s campaign will enhance the programming in and promote the future vibrancy of our country’s marvelous system of parks, monuments, and historic sites.”

According to the foundation, it plans to target four key areas with the grant funding: inspiring the next generation of park stewards, conserving threatened parks and wildlife, improving visitor experiences, and providing more comprehensive historical accounts of the country.

Some of the most urgent initiatives will include restoring coral reefs in Biscayne National Park and restoring trout species in multiple national parks in the western U.S., The Associated Press reported.

U.S. national park sites face several challenges today, including congestion from high numbers of visitors, an accumulation of plastic waste and other pollution, flooding, and wildfires. As National Parks Traveler reported, threats from hurricanes, sea level rise, invasive species and oil exploration further threaten national parks and the wildlife living in them.

As the National Park Foundation explained, funds made available through private philanthropy help the foundation better care for the park system and have done so for decades. Congress established The National Park Foundation in 1967 to allow private gifting to the country’s national parks for conservation.

“The impact of this gift will be felt in our parks and in surrounding communities for generations to come,” Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service, said in a press release. “This is a truly visionary investment, and an example of how the power of philanthropy can amplify this crucial work that we all believe in so much.”