National Park Foundation
The National Park Foundation (NPF), based in Washington, DC, is a public charity and the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS). It generates private support and builds strategic partnerships to protect and enhance America’s national parks for present and future generations.
National Park Foundation at a glance
In short: National Park Foundation gave $82.0M across 286 grants in 2025 (avg $287K), top state Montana. 15% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $82,031,554
- +0.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 286
- -30.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $286,824
- +43.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $77,782
- Total assets
- $579,074,915
- +3.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (42 of 286, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Montana (26% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to National Park Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The website directs applicants to the relevant program instructions. For applications using its Fluxx system, registration instructions are available to NPS units and existing NPS partners. The Capacity Building RFP required an existing NPS agreement, a request of $25,000–$100,000, and a project focused on organizational capacity rather than park infrastructure, programming, or event expenses.
- Review Cycle
- The Innovation Grants LOI deadline was December 23, 2025, with rolling submissions thereafter and priority review for submissions by the deadline. The Partner Housing Catalyst LOI deadline was February 19, 2026, with rolling submissions thereafter. The 2026–2027 Park Partner Capacity Building application period was February 23–April 2, 2026.
- Deadline
- The Innovation Grants LOI deadline was December 23, 2025, with rolling submissions thereafter and priority review for…
- Contact
Mailing address: 1500 K Street Nw, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 796-2500
Website: https://nationalparks.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from National Park Foundation
Junior Ranger Angler Grant
National Park Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Park Partner Capacity Building RFP Grant
National Park Foundation
Amount
US $50,000 - US $100,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Park Partner Matching Grant
National Park Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who National Park Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Yellowstone Forever ($21.1M). Together the top 10 received $48.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,520 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 678 grants of 1,520 (45%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NPF’s 2025 grant dollars were concentrated in Montana (26%), Wyoming (12%), Arizona (10%), Colorado (6%), and California (6%). Its listed recipients also included organizations and NPS entities in other states, including Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Alaska, Mississippi, and Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 286 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is National Park Foundation open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 42 of 286 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $163K; repeat grants $308K. How we count
Medians: $60K first-time, $84K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $25.5M (2019) to $82.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 286 grants totaling $82.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone Forever Bozeman, MT | Protect | $21,100,370 |
| American Conservation Experience Flagstaff, AZ | Protect | $7,106,692 |
| Grand Teton National Park Foundation Moose, WY | Protect | $6,924,749 |
| National Park Friends Alliance Jackson, WY | Connect | $2,798,300 |
| NPS Resource Stewardship & Science Fort Collins, CO | Protect | $2,332,029 |
| Zion National Park Forever Project Springdale, UT | Connect | $1,975,138 |
| Trust for Public Land San Francisco, CA | Connect | $1,761,069 |
| NPS-National Park SRVC Herndon, VA | Connect | $1,489,800 |
| NPS Learning and Development Harpers Ferry, WV | Protect | $1,355,000 |
| Alaska Geographic Association Anchorage, AK | Protect | $1,354,000 |
Ready to take the next step with National Park Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $579,074,915 | $173,752,964 | $164,147,285 | $82,031,554 | 286 | $25,026,141 |
| 2024 | $560,557,991 | $275,087,903 | $136,658,850 | $81,851,266 | 409 | $34,355,826 |
| 2023 | $414,754,993 | $151,584,507 | $120,455,846 | $69,812,290 | 323 | $9,303,772 |
| 2022 | $353,171,948 | $148,524,292 | $101,249,301 | $59,157,159 | 266 | $8,791,720 |
| 2021 | $340,217,064 | $99,935,213 | $70,717,845 | $35,797,626 | 236 | $13,113,609 |
| 2020 | $288,766,343 | $89,244,569 | $71,559,084 | $33,318,594 | 176 | $10,781,259 |
| 2019 | $253,475,291 | $70,913,760 | $62,033,055 | $25,464,162 | 232 | $5,124,319 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
NPF’s mission is to generate private support and build strategic partnerships to protect and enhance America’s national parks for present and future generations. Its website describes work on infrastructure, innovation, recreation and conservation, and developing park stewards through service opportunities.
NPF supports projects through park partners and NPS units. Its 2025 grants included support for Yellowstone Forever, whose stated purpose is to provide grants and in-kind support to Yellowstone National Park through philanthropic and educational initiatives; American Conservation Experience, which provides environmental service opportunities to help restore public lands; and Grand Teton National Park Foundation, which partners with Grand Teton National Park to steward, protect, and enhance the park. Other recipients included organizations whose stated missions involve connecting people to parks, supporting park partnerships, and protecting or creating public lands.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, NPF reported 286 grants totaling $82,031,554. Grants ranged from $5,700 to $21,100,370, with a median of $77,782. The largest awards included $21,100,370 to Yellowstone Forever for “PROTECT,” $7,106,692 to American Conservation Experience for “PROTECT,” and $6,924,749 to Grand Teton National Park Foundation for “PROTECT.” Other large awards included $2,798,300 to National Park Friends Alliance for “CONNECT” and $2,332,029 to NPS Resource Stewardship & Science for “PROTECT.”
NPF’s website describes several funding opportunities. The Innovation Grants Program seeks partner-led projects to improve visitor experience and access, resource management, or park operations; its request emphasizes innovations that could be applied at individual park units and potentially scaled elsewhere in the NPS. The Partner Housing Catalyst Program supports partner-led projects to increase NPS workforce housing, with nonprofit organizations as eligible grant recipients; its listed LOI process also welcomes submissions from NPS units and community or municipal entities. The Park Partner Capacity Building program supports the internal operational and fundraising capacity of NPS philanthropic, cooperative, or cooperating association partners with an existing agreement; its 2026–2027 application cycle has passed. The website also lists Park Partner Matching and Junior Ranger Angler grants. The Junior Ranger Angler opportunity supports community fishing programs for children and families, with requests up to $25,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists AJ Grant, Andrew Lee, Barbara Neal, Brien O’Brien, Bruce Reed, Cynthia A. Fisher, Janet Molina Watt, Jim Forbes, John DeStefano, and John L. Nau III as board members. The filing notes that Barbara Neal and Bruce Reed served through September 2025.
National Park Foundation is led by William Shafroth, Chief Executive Officer since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 13 of 42 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William Shafroth
Chief Executive Officer
CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$534K (2020) → $793K (2025)
Jeff Reinbold
Chief Executive Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rhoda Altom
Board-Chair
Board of Directors → Board of Directors & Vice Chair, 2023
Board of Directors & Vice Chair → Board-Chair, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dieter Fenkart-Froeschl
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer → COO, 2020
COO → Chief Operating Officer, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$147K (2019) → $309K (2025)
Ruth Prescott
Chief of Staff
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$239K (2019) → $383K (2025)
Valerie Kind
Senior Vice President, Major Gifts & Foundation Relations
Vice President & Major Gifts → Senior Vice President & Major Gifts, 2022
Senior Vice President & Major Gifts → Senior Vice President, Major Gifts & Foundation Relations, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$182K (2020) → $232K (2025)
James Kelley
Chief Philanthropy Officer
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$258K (2021) → $291K (2025)
Jennifer Harris
Senior Vice President & Philanthropy
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$216K (2023) → $240K (2025)
Lindsay Gsell
Vice President & Content Strategey
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$205K (2023) → $229K (2025)
Chad Jones
Senior Vice President & Corporate Partnerships
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$254K (2024) → $254K (2025)
Charles Feeney
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$305K (2024) → $305K (2025)
Dawn Rodney
Chief External Affairs Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$310K (2024) → $310K (2025)
Lise Aangeenbrug
Chief Program Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$319K (2024) → $319K (2025)
Lucille Clay
Senior Vice President, Hr & Administrator Service
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$230K (2024) → $230K (2025)
Steven Grourke
Senior Vice President, Leadership & Planned Giving
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$234K (2024) → $234K (2025)
Brien O'Brien
Board Member
Director → Board of Directors, 2023
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cynthia A. Fisher
Board Member
Board of Directors & Assistant Secretary → Board of Directors, 2022
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John L. Nau III
Board Member
Director → Board of Directors, 2020
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen Swett Conway
Board Member
Director → Board of Directors, 2020
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Randi Fisher
Board Member
Director → Board of Directors, 2020
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rick L. James
Board Member
Board of Directors & Treasurer → Board of Directors & Chair, 2022
Board of Directors & Chair → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven A. Denning
Assistant Secretary
Board of Directors → Board of Directors & Assistant Secretary, 2022
Board of Directors & Assistant Secretary → Assistant Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William O. Hiltz
Board Member
Board of Directors & Chair → Board of Directors, 2022
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Neal
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Destefano
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Landy
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board of Directors & Treasurer, 2022
Board of Directors & Treasurer → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Ecccles
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Grayson
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael D. Hankin
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Lee
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janet Molina Watt
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Forbes
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Packnett
Board Member
Board of Directors → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Malloch
Treasurer
Board of Directors → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Aj Grant
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Reed
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jules Buenabenta
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Millett
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula Collins
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Chung
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Portman
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Lockhart
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (40)
- Former: Al Baldwin (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Andrea J Grant (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Melani Walton (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Tom Goss (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: William Singer (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Rich Malloch (2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Carter K Laughlin (2019–2023) — Senior Vice President & Campaign Leadership
- Former: Mandeep Singh (2019–2023) — CFO
- Former: Robert Mathias (2020–2023) — Former Chief External Affairs
- Former: Sean Maloney (2020–2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Nicole Engdahl (2021–2023) — Senior Vice President, Planned & Annual Giving
- Former: Beverly Cole (2023) — Board of Directors
- Former: Melinda Stearns (2019–2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: Patricia Arvielo (2019–2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: Stefanie Mathews (2019–2022) — Senior Vice President & Corporate Partnerships
- Former: Thomas Brown (2019–2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: Brenda Potterfield (2020–2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: William Pickard (2020–2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: Jason Corzine (2022) — Vice President & Resource Management
- Former: Latresse Snead (2022) — Chief Program Officer
- Former: Stephen Chazen (2022) — Board of Directors
- Former: Austin Beutner (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Chrystal Morris Murphy (2019–2021) — Senior Vice President & Community Partnerships
- Former: Daniel Sakura (2019–2021) — Senior Advisor, Lands & Special Proj.
- Former: Gregory Weingarten (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Robert S Rivkin (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Susan LaPierre (2019–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Steve Chazen (2020–2021) — Board of Directors
- Former: Eric Schwaab (2020) — Chief Program Officer
- Former: Laughlin Carter (2020) — Senior Vice President & Principal Gifts
- Former: Amelia Hellman (2019) — Senior Vice President & Philanthropy · Filing note: Thru 11/2018
- Former: Angela Hearn (2019) — Senior Vice President & Communications
- Former: Bryan Traubert (2019) — Board Chair
- Former: David Bernhardt (2019) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Dumas (2019) — Director & Principal Gifts
- Former: Orin S Kramer (2019) — Director
- Former: Paul Daniel Smith (2019) — Secretary
- Former: Stephen L Hightower (2019) — Director
- Former: Susan Newton (2019) — Senior Vice President, Grants & Program
- Former: Will Shafroth (2019) — CEO
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $793K, to William Shafroth (Chief Executive Officer (Thru 01/25)). 13 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about National Park Foundation
How much does National Park Foundation give each year?
National Park Foundation gave $82.0M across 286 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $81.9M across 409 grants.
What is National Park Foundation's typical grant size?
National Park Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $77,782, and its average grant was $286,824, across 286 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from National Park Foundation that year got $163K on average.
Where does National Park Foundation give grants?
National Park Foundation's top state is Montana, with 26% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Wyoming (12%) and Arizona (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (12 grants), Seattle, WA (8 grants), San Francisco, CA (4 grants) and Herndon, VA (4 grants).
Does National Park Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of National Park Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 286) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Connect" (180 grants) and "Protect" (104 grants).
Who are National Park Foundation's largest grantees?
National Park Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Yellowstone Forever ($21,100,370), American Conservation Experience ($7,106,692) and Grand Teton National Park Foundation ($6,924,749), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is National Park Foundation?
National Park Foundation reported $579.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $173.8M.
What does National Park Foundation fund?
NPF’s mission is to generate private support and build strategic partnerships to protect and enhance America’s national parks for present and future generations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from National Park Foundation?
The website directs applicants to the relevant program instructions. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is National Park Foundation's EIN?
National Park Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1086761. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 28, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 14, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 12, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in National Park Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). National Park Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/national-park-foundation-morg_4b2c14af6a124cf0a2d0a5f3a32d31a5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521086761_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{National Park Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/national-park-foundation-morg_4b2c14af6a124cf0a2d0a5f3a32d31a5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from National Park Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
National Park Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?