Washington, D.C. · Nonprofit
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 1370 organizations whose IRS filings report $289,509,974 to it, the largest being LILLY ENDOWMENT INC ($103,100,000). 769 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $174M
- Funders on record
- 1,370
- Grants received
- $290M
- Net assets
- $550M
What National Park Foundation does
Mission
As the official philanthropic 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.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Protect national parks - enhancing infrastructure a strong park system depends on reliable infrastructure that supports both resource protection and visitor experiences. Npf invests in projects that improve, modernize, and strengthen roads, bridges, campgrounds, trail systems, visitor facilities, and other essential assets. By identifying, evaluating, and scaling effective solutions, npf helps ensure that parks remain accessible, resilient, and capable of serving visitors while protecting the resources entrusted to their care. Fostering innovation meeting the evolving needs of national parks requires new ideas and practical solutions. Npf invests in innovative tools, technologies, and collaborative approaches that strengthen park operations and enhance visitor experiences. These investments support the testing and adoption of promising solutions, helping parks adapt to emerging opportunities and challenges while advancing long-term stewardship of park resources.
$65,999,096 spentof which $62,464,055 as grants54% of program spendingConnect people with national parks - investing in recreation and conservation meaningful park experiences depend on both access to recreation and the continued stewardship of natural and cultural resources. Npf invests in programs and projects that connect people with national parks through recreation, education, and visitor experiences while supporting the conservation of landscapes, historic sites, and other park resources. These efforts help ensure that national parks remain places of discovery, learning, and inspiration for future generations. Empowering park stewards the long-term health of national parks depends on people who are committed to their care and preservation. Npf invests in service, volunteer, education, and workforce development opportunities that foster stewardship and build practical skills. Through partnerships and hands-on experiences, these programs strengthen the network of individuals and organizations working to protect, preserve, and sustain national parks.
$22,959,435 spentof which $22,548,286 as grants19% of program spendingGeneral
$17,865,715 spentof which $15,856,578 as grants15% of program spendingOther
$15,333,387 spentof which $2,100,210 as grants13% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $122,157,633.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $415M to $561M (+35%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 15% · 2018 15% · 2019 14% · 2020 12% · 2021 17% · 2022 9% · 2023 11% · 2024 11% · 2025 13%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Rhoda Altom
Board-chair (thru 09/25)
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 235 funders to 496 funders, grant income rose $8.5M → $44M.
95 of 1370 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 26% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $574k from one payer (the same organization on both sides, largest National Park Foundation). These are real filings, and they are not money NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION raised.
From the IRS filings of NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 1370 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 36% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
27% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 12% · 2018 15% · 2019 20% · 2020 21% · 2021 18% · 2022 23% · 2023 21% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
39% of NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 56% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION draws 99% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, D.C., across 48 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $74M arriving through sponsors registered in 30 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Government funding NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $20.0M on record.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services$10.1M
- Department of the Interior$9.8M
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington, D.C.
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
74% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
67%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 11 states
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Npf Schoodic Woods LLC · disregarded
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION?
- NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 1370 organizations whose IRS filings report $289,509,974 to it, the largest being LILLY ENDOWMENT INC ($103,100,000). 769 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION have?
- IRS filings report 1370 organizations giving $289,509,974 in grants to NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION, 769 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION?
- LILLY ENDOWMENT INC is the largest funder on record, with $103,100,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington, D.C.. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 1370 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing