The National Park Foundation (NPF) is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. Since its founding in 1967, NPF has helped support U.S. national parks through projects, programs and partnerships. Specifically, NPF supports historical and cultural sites that have played a pivotal role in shaping our country’s history and its various communities.
Below, we share information about NPF’s Inclusive Storytelling program and the grants the program provides. We also touch on philanthropist Robert F. Smith and Fund II Foundation’s work with NPF over the years.
NPF’s Inclusive Storytelling Program
NPF works to share the diverse stories and history of all Americans through national park sites and connects Americans to historic sites important to their communities. The NPF is committed to growing programs that enhance these experiences, including the Inclusive Storytelling program.
The Inclusive Storytelling program was created to uplift and share American stories that are often overlooked. The program has developed podcasts, exhibitions, films and trainings and helps fund interpretive park ranger positions to bring history to life.
At the end of 2024, NPF announced its second cohort of Inclusive Storytelling program grant recipients. The grants, totaling $4.6 million, will go toward 60 national parks, park partners and others that will help tell more comprehensive stories about U.S. national parks. The grants will also fund projects that support the underrepresented voices who transformed and continue to influence the history of the parks. The second cohort is slated to receive more than double the grant funding of the first cohort, supporting this mission and the preservation of our shared history for years to come.
Some of the 2024 grantees of the Inclusive Storytelling program include:
- Acadia National Park
- Yellowstone Forever
- Boston African American National Historic Site
- Death Valley National Park
- Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
- Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
- Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Zion National Park Forever Project
- Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
- Grand Canyon Conservancy
“While many people think of the stunning landscapes and wildlife they can see at our national parks, it’s important to remember that every national park has a story to tell – a vital piece of our shared American story. Our goal is to support parks in researching and telling these important stories in memorable and engaging ways,” said Lise Aangeenbrug, NPF’s Chief Program Officer.
The Fund II Civil Rights Historic Preservation Program
Smith was raised to understand and appreciate the importance and cultural significance of U.S. national parks. As founding director and President of Fund II Foundation, Smith has collaborated with NPF as part of the Fund II Civil Rights Historic Preservation program.
The Fund II Civil Rights Historic Preservation program, which was launched in 2015, focuses on civil rights history and stories associated with national parks. The program helps design and implement digital technologies for storytelling.
Sites that Smith, NPF and Fund II Foundation have worked with include:
- The birth and life homes of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- The homes of Carter G. Woodson, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass
- Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
- Pullman National Monument
- Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
- Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
- Freedom Riders National Monument
- Camp Nelson National Monument
Smith and Fund II Foundation’s philanthropic partnership with NPF was also featured in a USA Special Edition article in 2024 detailing their partnership to preserve Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth and life homes.
Learn more about Smith’s continued support of NPF by following him on LinkedIn.
