National Park Foundation
“The official charity of America’s national parks, enriching park experiences and building community.”
The work
What they do
Congressionally chartered official philanthropic partner of the NPS. Raises funds for park projects, youth programs, conservation, and community engagement across the National Park System.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “AS THE OFFICIAL NONPROFIT PARTNER OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION GENERATES PRIVATE SUPPORT AND BUILDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. NPF'S OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO ENSURE AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS REACH THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL AND TOUCH AS MANY LIVES AS POSSIBLE.”
Follow the dollar
74 cents of every dollar goes to the work
Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.
Backed on the record by William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, REI Cooperative Action Fund, Walton Family Foundation and 1 other, latest filing FY24.
$122,157,633 programs, $16,542,938 management, $25,446,714 fundraising. Form 990, FY2025.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at NPF? Claim this page.
Those 26 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If NPF is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 27The filings
13 years of filings
13 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2012 | $27,689,704 |
| 2013 | $24,730,864 |
| 2014 | $46,722,657 |
| 2015 | $74,853,413 |
| 2016 | $150,046,168 |
| 2017 | $79,921,412 |
| 2018 | $81,297,527 |
| 2019 | $70,913,760 |
| 2020 | $89,244,569 |
| 2021 | $99,935,213 |
| 2022 | $148,524,292 |
| 2023 | $151,584,507 |
| 2025 | $173,752,964 |
From $27.7M in 2012 to $173.8M in FY25, across 13 public filings. The 2025 peak of $173.8M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
The record
On the Hill
National Park Foundation files its own federal lobbying reports: 68 filings from 2019 to 2026. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on natural resources, budget/appropriations and education.
Ways in
How to help
74 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with National Park Foundation
59 years on the ground, 26 volunteers, 74 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.