GRANT EXPANDS TREMONT’S IMPACT IN REGION SURROUNDING GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
TOWNSEND, TN – On Monday, September 12, The National Park Foundation announced Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is one of 41 park partner organizations to receive a Strong Parks, Strong Communities grant from the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Tremont Institute received a $25,000 grant to explore the creation of a regenerative community in the region surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the intention of serving as a case study for future regenerative communities across the National Park Service. The full list of grantees can be found on the National Park Foundation’s blog.
“I am grateful that through this grant, the National Park Foundation recognizes the value that partners like Tremont bring to the National Park Service,” said Catey McClary, president and CEO of Tremont Institute. “This funding will help us bring together stakeholders to envision a future where we mutually benefit from strong relationships to the land and to each other. We aim to draw connections, amplify cooperation, and weave communities to build a stronger and more sustainable region.”
The Strong Parks, Strong Communities grants help address nonprofit park partner needs most urgent to the parks they serve. The grants will enable partner organizations to invest in strategic planning, community engagement, improving visitor experience in parks, increasing organizational relevancy and resiliency, and launching new fundraising campaigns.
“Philanthropy and partnership are essential to the success of America’s national parks,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “New funding will help park partners across the country to build capacity, improve strategic planning and fundraising initiatives, and to more deeply engage the communities and national parks they serve. Ultimately, investing in the growing community of park partners is a commitment to expanding and transforming the role philanthropy plays to ensure national parks reach their full potential.”
“These strategic investments in local groups elevate the creative opportunities, organizational efficacy, and bandwidth of the professional network that Friends Alliance serves,” said Vickie Mates, Executive Director of the National Park Friends Alliance. “We look forward to our continued collaboration and celebrating the outcomes created by these incredible grantee projects.”
Strong Parks, Strong Communities is a collective effort to grow national park philanthropy across the country. Working together on this initiative, the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and Friends Alliance enhance local philanthropic organizations, bringing park philanthropy to an elevated level.
The Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity building grant program is made possible by the National Park Foundation Board of Directors.
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ABOUT GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE AT TREMONT
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont provides in-depth experiences through educational programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at www.gsmit.org.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
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 and connect all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
Contact:
Erin Rosolina, Tremont Institute
(865) 448-6709, [email protected]
Scott Anderson, National Park Foundation
(202) 796-2542, [email protected]
Cover image by Rich Rings
