The National Park Service Is Turning 100—How Are Its Finances?
Posted on August 25, 2016
The National Park Service is celebrating its centennial on August 25, 2016. For 100 years, the Park Service has helped the public enjoy its parks and worked to protect its resources. It currently manages 413 parks covering 84 million acres. That number keeps growing—the Service established one of its most recent parks, Stonewall National Monument in New York City, on June 24, 2016, to commemorate LGBT rights. [8/25/16: This post was edited to clarify when Stonewall National Monument was added.]
So, on the occasion of its 100th birthday (and considering that it hosts more than 275 million visitors a year): how is the Park Service doing financially?
Making ends meet

The Park Service’s funds come from a combination of annual appropriations, entrance and camping fees, fees from vendors, and donations. But the mix of sources has been changing, with more of the money coming from fees and donations.
(Excerpted from GAO-16-166)
To make up for the shortfall in their budget, the Park Service has launched a fundraising campaign around its centennial. Together with the National Park Foundation, it created a campaign to raise $250 million by 2018 to support 100 key projects. In addition, it is partnering with the Foundation on its “Find Your Park” campaign to encourage people to visit national parks.
(Excerpted from GAO-16-166)
Check out our report for more information on the Park Service’s fees, agreements, and fundraising efforts.
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