Tuesday, August 27, 2024 The U.S. National Park Service is set to receive a monumental financial boost, thanks to a historic $100 million grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc.
This donation, described as the largest in the history of the National Park Foundation, marks a transformative moment for the country’s vast and diverse system of national parks. The grant is expected to fund a range of initiatives aimed at preserving the natural beauty and ecological integrity of more than 400 national park sites across the United States. The National Park Foundation, the official non-profit organization created by Congress in the 1960s to support the U.
S. national parks, announced the unprecedented donation on Monday. The $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
is a significant contribution to the foundation’s ongoing “Campaign for National Parks,” a $1 billion fundraising effort designed to enhance and sustain the nation’s treasured park system. Will Shafroth, president and chief executive officer of the National Park Foundation, emphasized the transformative impact this grant will have on the U.S.
national parks. “This grant will allow us to supercharge our efforts to ensure our national parks are for everyone, for generations to come,” Shafroth said. He added that the foundation hopes to announce the first round of grants stemming from this donation later this year, with specific projects and priorities to be outlined in the coming months.
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