NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

Connect people with national parks - the national park foundation is dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for people to visit and connect with our national parks and the programs they offer. Npf works to invite all people to experience, enjoy, and create life-long relationships with national parks and bring parks to people. This is accomplished by way of investments to reach underrepresented audiences, increase diversity and inclusion, create digital experiences and attract younger, multicultural generations and families to engage with national parks. In addition, the national park foundation is dedicated to establishing national parks as powerful learning environments that provide in-depth experiences that shape lives and build the next generation of national park stewards. The foundation's programs focus on connecting audiences to introductory experiences in our national parks, fostering lifelong connections, and building strong partnerships. Under the connect pillar, npf delivers programmatic impact to the parks in the following strategic areas: (1) communities and workforce - national parks are the landscapes where american's build community and cultivate stewardship. Npf supports an expansive network of local non-profit organizations, volunteer groups, and service corps dedicated to critical preservation and restoration projects across the country. Npf's communities & workforce programming aims to grow the capacity of partners, as well as inspire and diversify the next generation of outdoor leaders. Through efforts like service corps crews that preserve historical sites, restore trails, and remove invasive species in parks, npf's communities & workforce programs highlight the power of teamwork and collective dedication to preserve the nation's most treasured places. Additionally, increased fundraising and management capacity of the park partner community strengthens collective support of critical preservation, restoration, and protection projects in parks across the country. (2) youth engagement and education - the average child spends five to eight hours a day in front of a digital screen and only about 12 minutes of active time outdoors. National parks are america's largest classroom, offering unparalleled educational resources as hands-on laboratories poised to inspire a new generation. Npf supports youth education & engagement programs that provide ways for kids to enjoy, understand, and connect with the nature, history, and culture of parks through a variety of classroom subjects at national parks across the country. Education programs tied to parks enhance classroom curriculum and have a transformative impact on students, increasing critical thinking skills, knowledge, self-confidence, and motivation to learn. Beyond time spent in the parks, classroom activities conducted before and after in-park or virtual field trips reinforce what students learn during their visit. (3) outdoor exploration - national parks hold the power to inspire a sense of wonder and a love of exploration. Exploration of parks' wildlife, landscapes, history, and culture is an important and memorable element of national park experiences for all visitors. Npf supports ongoing opportunities to promote access for everyone to experience, enjoy, and cultivate life-long connections to the social, mental, and physical health benefits of the outdoors through magnificent national parks. By teaching valuable lifelong skills, collaborating with partner organizations to foster inclusion, and promoting the engagement of communities of color with outdoor recreation, npf's outdoor exploration programs create and deepen longstanding connections to national parks for all.