The National Park Foundation said Monday it has received a $100 million grant, the largest such transfer in its history.
The money comes from The Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation created by the family behind Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceuticals.
The nonprofit National Park Foundation says it wants to use the money to conserve and maintain the parks by preserving ecosystems, creating more youth opportunities, elevating the history of underrepresented communities and expanding its services as demand for national parks grows. Foundation officials say they will begin announcing grants disbursed from the donation later this year.
The National Park Foundation will count the Lilly Endowment's grant as part of its ongoing Campaign for National Parks, which aims to raise $1 billion for the park system. Separately, partners of national parks are working to raise $3.5 billion.
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The money could give park budgets a significant boost: The federal government's 2025 budget calls for $3.09 billion to operate and preserve parks.
In 2022, close to 312 million visitors spent $23.9 billion directly at America's 405 national parks.
