In partnership with the National Park Service since 1938, WNP advances education, interpretation, research, and community engagement to ensure national parks are increasingly valued by all.
Western National Parks Association’s grantmaking is anchored by a long-running partnership with the National Park Service that dates to 1938, and that relationship still shapes the largest grants in its recent record. The association funds scientific research, interpretive support, historical and cultural work, and park-based education tied to partner parks in the western United States. Its recent grants show a mix of large operating assistance for park-related work and smaller project grants for researchers, universities, and community organizations. The biggest award in the latest year on file was $996,201 to the National Park Service for scientific research, interpretive support and other assistance, followed by similar support of $670,556 in 2024 and $593,572 in 2023. Beyond those large transfers, the association also funds park-connected research and education projects at a much smaller scale. Recipients include the Tucson Festival of Books for scientific, ecological and cultural research, and the University of Arizona for the same general purpose. That pattern shows an organization that combines direct support for park stewardship with targeted project funding for research and public interpretation.
The association supports several closely related cause areas around national parks. In scientific, ecological, and cultural research, it gave $14,933 to Westland Resources, $11,237 to Arizona State University, and $10,000 to the University of Arizona, all in 2025, for research tied to its park mission. Its education work is centered on park-based learning. Through the James E. Cook Nature’s Classroom Grant, Western National Parks Association funds virtual classroom, in-classroom, and in-park experiences connected to WNP partner parks. The recent grant list also includes support for interpretive and visitor-oriented work through the National Park Service award. The association also makes smaller grants for cultural heritage and field support. Examples include $7,500 to Desert Archaelogy and $7,232 to the Salvation Army for PPE donation, showing a willingness to fund both research activity and operational needs.
Grant size is tightly clustered at the project level: p25 is $7,455, median is $7,500, and p75 is $14,009. The grant list also includes a separate set of very large awards to the National Park Service, which sit far above the typical project range. Recipients recur across multiple years, including Udall Foundation and Ironwood Tree Experience, which appear in grants from 2023 through 2025. Western National Parks Association is a nonprofit association rather than a family foundation or DAF, and it uses unsolicited application pathways for at least two programs, including research grants with one-year and multiyear tracks.
$1.1M
$23.4M
$15.4M
$14.7M
Most grants fall between $7K and $14K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$14K
MARIE BUCK
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Most grants go to Arizona recipients, accounting for 67% of awards in the data. Tucson appears repeatedly, including grants to Tucson Festival of Books, Westland Resources, the University of Arizona, Udall Foundation, Ironwood Tree Experience, Desert Archaelogy, and the Salvation Army. Outside Arizona, the foundation also gives in Ohio, including a grant to The Ohio State University in Columbus, and in Nevada and Kansas through the Board of Regents Nshe University of Nevada Reno and the Errell Institute in Lawrence. All recorded grants in the dataset are in the United States.
Its grants support scientific, ecological, and cultural research, interpretive and visitor experience work, youth and community engagement, cultural heritage preservation, and park-focused education. The active programs also include research grants for one-year and multiyear projects and the James E. Cook Nature’s Classroom Grant for park-based learning experiences.
Typical project grants are small and tightly clustered: the 25th percentile is $7,455, the median is $7,500, and the 75th percentile is $14,009. The data also shows much larger awards to the National Park Service that are separate from the usual project range.
Yes. Some recipients appear across multiple years in the recent grants list. Udall Foundation received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Ironwood Tree Experience appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 as well.
Yes. The WNP Research Grants program accepts unsolicited applications and offers separate pathways for one-year and multiyear projects. The James E. Cook Nature’s Classroom Grant also accepts unsolicited applications.
Arizona receives most of the grants in the dataset, with 67% of awards going to recipients in the HQ state. Tucson is the most visible city in the recent grants list, and Ohio is the top state by grant count overall.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Western National Parks Association that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: The page states that WNP funds scientific, historical, and social science research in national parks. No detailed eligibility criteria were provided in the scraped content.
Deadline: Will accept proposals again in fall 2026.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NATIONAL PARK SERVICE | WASHINGTON, DC | $996,201 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE |
| TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS | TUCSON, AZ | $30,000 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| WESTLAND RESOURCES | TUCSON, AZ | $14,933 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $11,237 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TUCSON, AZ | $10,000 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| UDALL FOUNDATION | TUCSON, AZ | $7,500 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| SALVATION ARMY | TUCSON, AZ | $7,232 | 2025 | PPE DONATION |
| IRONWOOD TREE EXPERIENCE | TUCSON, AZ | $5,746 | 2025 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| NATIONAL PARK SERVICE | WASHINGTON, DC | $670,556 | 2024 | SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE |
| THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY | COLUMBUS, OH | $7,500 | 2024 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| UDALL FOUNDATION | TUCSON, AZ | $7,500 | 2024 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| BOARD OF REGENTS NSHE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO | RENO, NV | $7,440 | 2024 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| IRONWOOD TREE EXPERIENCE | TUCSON, AZ | $5,760 | 2024 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| NATIONAL PARK SERVICE | WASHINGTON, DC | $593,572 | 2023 | SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE |
| IRONWOOD TREE EXPERIENCE | TUCSON, AZ | $7,500 | 2023 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| UDALL FOUNDATION | TUCSON, AZ | $7,500 | 2023 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| DESERT ARCHAELOGY | TUCSON, AZ | $7,500 | 2023 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
| ERRELL INSTITUTE | LAWRENCE, KS | $7,220 | 2023 | SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH |
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
$996,201SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE
TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
$30,000SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
WESTLAND RESOURCES
$14,933SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
$11,237SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
$10,000SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
UDALL FOUNDATION
$7,500SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
SALVATION ARMY
$7,232PPE DONATION
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
$670,556SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
$7,500SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
UDALL FOUNDATION
$7,500SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
BOARD OF REGENTS NSHE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO
$7,440SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
$593,572SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, INTERPRETIVE SUPPORT AND OTHER ASSISTANCE
UDALL FOUNDATION
$7,500SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
DESERT ARCHAELOGY
$7,500SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
ERRELL INSTITUTE
$7,220SCIENTIFIC, ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL RESEARCH
