The National Park Foundation is the Congressionally chartered, charitable partner of America's national parks. The National Park Foundation works to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks.
The Foundation is a major sponsor of the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the 12-hour, six-part series on PBS. [1]
Mission statement
Private philanthropy has been essential to the preservation, protection and improvement of America’s national parks and will continue to be essential in securing their future. Since 1967, the National Park Foundation — chartered by Congress as the national charity of U.S. national parks — has taken the lead to sustain and grow this legacy of private citizen support. The mission of the National Park Foundation is to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness.
National Programs and Initiatives
Working closely with the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation makes grants that connect children, communities and all Americans have with their national parks.
Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign
The passengers and crewmembers of United Airlines Flight 93, whose heroic and selfless acts on September 11, 2001, saved countless American lives, will be forever remembered at the Flight 93 National Memorial, a 2,200 acre national park. The Memorial will be a place for individuals to learn about the events of September 11, 2001, and to find meaning and inspiration in their experience.
The Flight 93 National Memorial is being planned, designed and built through the collaborative efforts of a unique partnership between family members, federally-appointed commissioners, task force members and federal agencies. The National Park Service acts as the long-term steward of this sacred site. In April 2007, the National Park Foundation was chosen by the Partners of Flight 93 to serve as the lead fundraising partner to implement the national capital campaign, “A Common Field One Day…A Field of Honor Forever”, to build the Flight 93 National Memorial.
African American Experience Fund
National parks are rich with African American history, from historic sites that preserve the legacies of the Tuskegee Airmen and Frontiersmen at Nicodemus, to those that tell the stories of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, George Washington Carver and more. These and hundreds of other national parks and historic sites speak to the important role of African Americans in building America.
The mission of the African American Experience Fund of the National Park Foundation is to connect Americans from all walks of life to the considerable contributions of African Americans throughout history by raising private funds to support educational, volunteer and community engagement programs in national parks and historic sites that celebrate and tell these stories.
First Bloom
The National Park Foundation works with youth groups to bring children – particularly urban kids – to nearby national parks, where park rangers teach them about plants native to the area. Then the kids dig in, nurturing the natural habitats and designing gardens to show off the park landscape and beautify their neighborhoods. Through hands-on immersion into the science of native plants and habitat restoration, First Bloom helps kids connect in new ways to their environment and develop an early passion for conservation.
Governance
- Secretary of the Interior - ex officio (Chair of the Board)
- Director of the National Park Service - ex officio (Secretary of the Board)
- no less than six private citizens of the United States appointed by the Secretary of the Interior
The private citizens of the United States appointed by the Secretary of the Interior whose shall serve terms of six years. Members of the Board are volunteer leaders who serve as the Foundation’s chief fundraisers and are active participants in governance and policy overseeing total assets of more than $70 million.
The Foundation does not receive federal appropriations.
Board Members
Officers
- Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Vin Cipolla, Vice-Chair
- Neil J. Mulholland, President and CEO
- Jonathan Jarvis, Secretary
- Director, National Park Service
Board Members
Vice Chair Emeriti
External links
References
