Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks.
We raise funds to preserve and enhance the natural beauty, cultural heritage, and recreational opportunities of Washington’s national parks so that they remain vibrant, thriving ecosystems and cherished destinations for future generations.
Learn about the parks we support.
Each year, Congress determines the National Park Service’s budget through the annual appropriations process. The reality is, the budget given to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks isn’t keeping pace with the parks’ needs for maintaining infrastructure, maintenance in the parks, and salaries for park rangers.
This is why groups like Washington’s National Park Fund exist. We fill gaps in funding for programs and projects that enhance visitors’ experiences, provide research dollars, rebuild trails, bring in volunteers, and improve accessibility.
Our role – and your opportunity – is to add support for critical, underfunded projects and programs that benefit the park experience for all.
Each year, the three park superintendents and their staff identify critical projects in need of support. Then, Washington’s National Park Fund raises the funds to make these projects a reality, sustaining dozens of projects each year that would otherwise go unfunded.
Advancing Science and Research
Protecting and ensuring the safety of precious native plants, animals, and aquatic vertebrates, understanding shrinking glaciers, and more
Improving Visitors’ Experiences
Creating opportunities for youth and families, funding trail work, signage, and search & rescue programs, and increasing engagement with park rangers
Expanding Volunteerism and Stewardship
Supporting responsible planning and management of park resources through a dedicated team of park volunteers and champions
Embracing Inclusion
Fostering an environment in the parks where people who experience more life barriers based on their identities can feel welcome and that they belong
EMBRACING INCLUSION
We believe in fostering an environment in the parks where people who experience more life barriers based on their identities can feel welcome and that they belong. This Project Priority promotes tribal engagement in the parks and park access and employment by underrepresented and historically marginalized communities.
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awarded in the last decade to fund priority park projects
completed in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic annually
designated to build and maintain national park trails in the last decade
funded each year in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic
Talk about impact: Volunteers provide 70,000 hours of volunteer service every year as part of Mount Rainier National Park’s Volunteer Program, a program for which WNPF provides the largest portion of funding – roughly 2/3 – year over year. We are proud to support impactful volunteer programs in all three of Washington’s national parks, enabling individuals to give back to the parks they love in more ways than one.
Together, we have funded critical search and rescue equipment, countless miles of trail maintenance, programs that provide wilderness access to underserved communities, wildlife studies and the removal of invasive species, and so much more.
See the full list of projects we’ve funded over the years.
Cover photo: Meadow Rover volunteers on trails at Sunrise in Mount Rainier National Park (NPS photo by Kevin Bacher); footer photo (below): peaks in Olympic National Park by Nate Brown 📷