National Park Foundation

Mission

National parks are places to treasure, celebrate and preserve. Help safeguard the priceless legacy of our national parks - today, and for generations to come.

Success Story

The Delaware River passes through 40 miles of Eastern Pennsylvania. Flowing through the Pocono Mountains and boasting scenery virtually untouched by modern development. The river forms the Water Gap and continues downward toward Philadelphia. Supplying the city of Philadelphia and the state of New Jersey with fresh drinking water, the river flows 200 miles from the Water Gap to the Delaware Bay and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean. The Water Gap and surrounding area is well known for its natural resources and is a wonderful destination for outdoor recreation of all types. 

America's National Parks are home to the country's grandest canyons, highest mountains, largest rivers, oldest forests and most profound cultural treasures. Parks like the Delaware Water Gap help to tell the story of America and the National Park Foundation's (NPF) sole mission is to help include that vital narrative into the fabric of the American experience. Through its work, NPF makes strategic grants that flow into the parks system, enriching programs that provide a connection between Americans and their national parks. 

For one group of young women from Philadelphia who had never been out of the city, NPF's America's Best Idea grant program provided the opportunity to raft down the Delaware River over seven days. Not only did this unique opportunity allow these young women to learn and grow as individuals but also it cemented their connection to the outdoors and our national parks.