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The National Park Foundation has received $100 million, the largest donation in the group's history. The donation came from the Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation that is an offshoot of the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company. The foundation was created by the U.S. Congress in 1967 and is the nonprofit fundraising arm of the National Park Service.
“For over 50 years, private philanthropy has played a vital role in bridging the gap between park needs and available funding,” foundation CEO Will Shafroth said in a statement. "This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come.”
The National Park Foundation is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign to address issues across 430 national park sites. According to the announcement, the $100 million donation will be spent across four priority areas: initiatives that protect fragile ecosystems and species, creating opportunities for young people to visit national parks, customer service improvements, including technology, and helping expand historical narratives within the park service, specifically to include the voices of historically marginalized communities.
“The impact of this gift will be felt in our parks and in surrounding communities for generations to come,” National Park Service 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.”
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