Courtesy of Pinnacles National Park:
Pinnacles National Park will receive a field trip grant for the 2018-2019 school year from the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. This $5,200 grant will be used to help underserved schools with the cost of transportation to Pinnacles National Park.
This grant is part of the Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program, which creates pathways for kids to explore and connect with national park experiences.
“Trekking along trails, observing our natural ecosystems and engaging with our shared history are experiences that benefit all children,” said National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth. “Making it possible for America’s youth to explore our national parks is an investment in their future and the future of the national parks community.”
Classes from local Title I will be eligible to apply for the grant, which reimburses schools for some of their transportation costs of getting to and from the park for educational field trips. More information about scheduling trips can be found at www.nps.gov/pinn/learn/education.
“Field trips are one of the best ways to introduce new and diverse populations to the park, but transportation costs can be a barrier for a lot of schools,” said Brent Johnson, Acting Superintendent of Pinnacles National Park. “This grant will provide the opportunity for many local students visit a National Park for the first time”
The Pinnacles National Park Foundation, the nonprofit partner of Pinnacles National Park, will administer the grant. “We’re excited to be able to offer this opportunity to local schools and provide additional support for youth engagement,” said Executive Director Jennifer Westphal.
For the full list of grantees and their projects, click here.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
ABOUT THE PINNACLES NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The Pinnacles National Park Foundation is the official nonprofit philanthropic partner dedicated to supporting Pinnacles National Park. Since 2006, we have worked to inspire charitable giving towards high priority programs and projects unfunded by park budgets that meet our mission of ensuring excellence in education, resource stewardship, and visitor experiences at Pinnacles National Park. These projects protect and enhance the Park’s natural and cultural resources and foster their stewardship in perpetuity. Originally formed as Pinnacles Partnership, the name Pinnacles National Park Foundation was adopted in mid-2017 to more succinctly express the Foundation’s role in light of Pinnacles new status as a National Park. Visit us at www.pinnaclesfoundation.org to find out more and join us in support of Pinnacles National Park.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
Celebrating 50 years, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and ENGAGE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.
