NPS Centennial Grant Gives 10,000 Children Experience in National Parks

NatureBridge Awarded Centennial Challenge Grant

Sausalito, CA–Yosemite Institute is proud to announce today that 10,000 school children from underserved populations will be introduced to the National Parks through scholarships funded by a $750,000 Centennial Challenge grant from the National Park System and matching funds from private donors.

The money will provide assistance for students from diverse backgrounds to experience residential environmental education programs at NatureBridge's three campuses: Headlands Institute in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Olympic Park Institute in Olympic National Park and Yosemite Institute in Yosemite National Park. NatureBridge programs encourage students’ curiosity and facilitate self-directed learning. This approach allows a new generation of Americans to establish a personal relationship with their parks that is based in wonder and respect. A small portion of YNI’s challenge funds will be used to evaluate program outcomes in order to identify and enhance best practices in environmental education.

National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar said, “With the nearly $25 million Congress has appropriated and matching commitments from park partners, the Centennial Initiative today moves onto the landscape and into people’s lives.”

The National Park Centennial Initiative is a 10-year program to reinvigorate America’s national parks and prepare them for a second century of conservation, preservation and enjoyment. The initiative includes a focus on increased funding for park operations plus a President’s Challenge: up to $100 million a year in federal funds to be matched by philanthropic donations to the National Park Service and its partners. In response to the President’s Centennial Challenge, Congress appropriated $24.6 million this year for centennial programs and projects.

“We are thrilled to be named a signature project for the NPS Centennial Challenge and committed to furthering the goals of the Centennial Initiative,” Jason Morris, NatureBridge vice-president of external affairs. “This is a testament to the positive influence YNI’s programs have in students’ lives.”

About the Centennial Initiative and Centennial Challenge

The National Park Centennial Initiative is a 10-year program to reinvigorate America’s national parks and prepare them for a second century of conservation, preservation and enjoyment. The initiative includes a focus on increased funding for park operations plus a President’s Challenge: up to $100 million a year in federal funds to be matched by philanthropic donations to the National Park Service and its partners. Five goals guide the National Park Service toward its 100 th anniversary: stewardship, environmental leadership, recreational experience, education and professional excellence. The Centennial Challenge projects and programs further these goals. 

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