The National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit entity of the National Park Service, has been selected to receive a $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Working with the National Park Service and park partners, NPF will allocate the funds to four key priority areas, according to a news release. Focus areas include stewardship, conservation and preservation, visitor experience, and historical narrative.
“The National Park Foundation is inspired by, and incredibly grateful for, this extraordinary gift from Lilly Endowment,” says Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the NPF. “For over 50 years, private philanthropy has played a vital role in bridging the gap between park needs and available funding. This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come.”
The grant contributes to The Campaign for National Parks, NPF’s $1 billion fundraising campaign that will help address the urgent needs of America’s 430 national park sites. N. Clay Robbins, chairman and CEO of Lilly Endowment, says NPF’s campaign “will enhance the programming in and promote the future vibrancy of our country’s marvelous system of parks, monuments, and historic sites.” Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service, says the impact of the grant will be felt at park sites and communities for decades. “This is a truly visionary investment,” Sams says, “and an example of how the power of philanthropy can amplify this crucial work that we all believe in so much.”
Main Image: Yellowstone National Park; Credit: Adobe/htrnr
