[1] The NPF was chartered by Congress in 1967 with a charge to "further the conservation of natural, scenic, historic, scientific, educational, inspirational, or recreational resources for future generations of Americans.

[12] Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt's Bees, along with her family, donated more than 87,000 acres (136 sq mi) of woodlands in northern Maine, which became Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Funds were used to design and construct the Tower of Voices and establish the land as a national park, including reforestation of the landscape.

Since late 2018, the NPF has had a growing involvement with maintaining the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and establishing a connection with his family.

Additional donations that are not assigned to one of the programs help fund media and promotions, communication with partners, and park maintenance.

The NPF has also organized the funding and supported the National Park Service's establishment of more sites and monuments that celebrate individuals like Cesar Chavez in an effort to highlight Latino history within America.

[35][36][37] The NPF's Open Outdoors for Kids program began in 2011 and aims to provide park access specifically to youth.

The crews provide on-the-job training and complete projects in national parks ranging from trail maintenance and habitat restoration to trash and litter removal.

Additionally, NPF works with The Corps Network to increase crews that are inclusive of women, as well as LGBTQ and BIPOC people.

Projects include the production of online oral histories of the women of the Northern Arapaho tribe and their indigenous history at the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area; an exhibit dedicated to the wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park; and preservation of the National Woman's Party historic headquarters in Washington, D.C. To mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the NPF distributed $460,000 in grants to parks where significant events in women's history in the United States occurred.

[44] On February 13, 2013, Rep. Erik Paulsen introduced into the United States House of Representatives the National Park Service 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act (H.R.

627; 113th Congress), a bill that would direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue gold, silver, and half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service (NPS).

[46] Paulsen argued that "even during tough economic times, it's important to find new, cost-effective ways to preserve these treasures for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

"[47] President and CEO of the National Park Foundation Neil Mulholland said that "the commemorative coins would be a special way for individuals to mark this significant milestone while simultaneously providing incredible support to these cherished places.

[46] A version of the bill was incorporated into the Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, which President Barack Obama signed into law on December 14, 2014.

Among other items, the bill codified the National Park Centennial Challenge Fund to finance construction, maintenance, and education programs and projects with matching private dollars.

Further, the legislation updated the charter of the National Park Foundation, added a General Chairman to the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, provided for technical corrections to existing NPS laws, created the ability of the Department of the Interior to award and administer commercial use contracts under a new visitor experience improvement authority, and extended the Historic Preservation Fund through fiscal year 2023.

[50][51] In 2020, the United States Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, a piece of legislation which will provide $9.5 billion in funding over five years to address the backlog of needed maintenance across the national parks.

[52] In an opinion piece published by Fox News, NPF's president and CEO Will Shafroth wrote that the bill would help free up private funds to focus on improving accessibility to parks and visitor experience, as well as habitat, wildlife and cultural preservation.