National Parks nonprofit receiving largest grant in its history

An Indiana-based philanthropic endowment will give $100 million to the official nonprofit of the National Park Service (NPS), the largest gift the organization has ever received.

The National Park Foundation (NPF) announced Monday it has received the award from the Lilly Endowment. The foundation has not yet determined details of how the grant will be applied across the hundreds of national park sites, but foundation CEO Will Shafroth said the group hopes to announce an initial round of grants by the end of the year.

“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,” Shafroth said in a statement.

“The impact of this gift will be felt in our parks and in surrounding communities for generations to come,” NPS Director Chuck Sams said. “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.”

“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,” said N. Clay Robbins, chair and CEO of Lilly Endowment. “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.”

Congress created the NPF in 1967 to provide a mechanism for private citizens and organizations to financially support the NPS as well as donate land. The Lilly gift comes during the Campaign for National Parks, a major donation drive by the NPF that aims to raise a total of $1 billion.

Previous major donations to NPF include the thousands of acres of Maine wilderness that form the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, as well as millions of dollars raised in private donations to create a memorial at the sight of the Flight 93 crash during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.