Washington's National Park Fund

One easy way to support the parks is through our specialty license plate program. The Washington National Park license plate speaks to your love for our special places, featuring a real photo of the Cascades. Of your $30 actual cost, $28 comes back to Washington’s National Park Fund and goes directly to the parks. It’s a license plate that drives support: more than $2 million has been raised for the parks through this program.

Support Washington's national parks by buying a special license plate in honor of the parks!

Whether you’re a visitor, hiker, camper, skier, climber, kayaker, picnicker, wanderer, events lover, or license plate purchaser, there is a way to make a difference for the parks we love through Washington’s National Park Fund!

Get To Know Washington's National Park Fund

Washington State is graced with three spectacular national parks, each special in their own unique ways: the grandeur and stately presence of Mount Rainier, the fifth national park established; the diverse coastal, rain forest, and alpine environments that call the Olympic peninsula home; and North Cascades with its heart-stopping vertical views, 400 miles of trails and 300 glaciers, making it the most heavily glaciated area in the lower 48.

Washington’s National Park Fund (WNPF) is the official philanthropic partner to these three iconic national parks. We are on a mission to raise funds to preserve and enhance the natural beauty, cultural heritage, and recreational opportunities of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks so that they remain vibrant, thriving ecosystems and cherished destinations for future generations.

WNPF supports programs that encourage young people and their families to experience and learn to care for these parks, enhance the visitor experience through interpretive programming, expand science and research through monitoring the species and environments within the parks, and boost volunteer programs and search & rescue efforts.

Learn About Your Park Impact

Is it a video of restoring a fragile wildflower meadow? A report of fish returning to the Elwha River after dam removal? Or tales from a Meadow Rover? WNPF collects stories from rangers and visitors, from our donors, and from hard-working volunteers who give back more in time than we could ever thank enough!

Read it all and find insiders' tips on park experiences on our blog: www.wnpf.org/blog

Ready to get involved? There are lots of options…

Join Us For A Virtual Field Trip

The parks are special places, unlike any other. We imagine that even when you’re not in the parks, you’re probably longing to get out and enjoy your next adventure — just like us. And here at Washington’s National Park Fund, our goal is to help you experience the parks, even when you’re unable to be there in person. That’s why we’re inviting you to our free series of virtual field trips (VFT) to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks.

Our VFTs have covered topics for all interests — from glacier monitoring and getting to know superintendents, to viewing photo archives and understanding Search & Rescue operations. Not able to make it? Don't worry — all of our virtual field trips are recorded and posted on our website after they’ve taken place. We look forward to seeing you online!

Parkfest: A Night To Give Back In Seattle

One of our largest fundraising nights of the year, Parkfest is a special event that brings together park supporters and park rangers, scientists, and superintendents for a night of fun and fundraising. Attendees play park-themed games, attend a ranger-led activity, and bid on outdoor gear.

Our inaugural event raised more than $34,000 to help push nearly funded critical park projects over the top before the fiscal year ended. Join us for a special night of fun and giving back!

Why Give Through WNPF?

Each year, Congress determines the National Park Service’s budget through the annual appropriations process. But the federal budget given to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks isn’t keeping pace with the parks’ needs for maintaining infrastructure, maintenance in the parks, and salaries for park rangers.

That’s why groups like Washington’s National Park Fund exist. We fill gaps in funding for programs and projects that enhance visitors’ experiences, provide research dollars, rebuild trails, bring in volunteers, and improve accessibility.

Our role — and your opportunity — is to add support for critical, underfunded projects and programs that benefit the park experience for all.

Please join us in stepping up for these iconic places. Consider donation today at wnpf.org/donate.

The "Tree of Life," aka the "Root Cave Tree," Olympic National Park / Rebecca Latson

Spring at Longmire Meadow, Mount Rainier National Park / Rebecca Latson

Sunrise-tipped mountain tops at the Diablo Lake Overlook, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, North Cascades Complex / Rebecca Latson

Why WNPF?

Inadequate federal funding has compounded over the years. Our national parks are facing a significant backlog of maintenance projects. You, as a national park visitor, experience the effects first-hand. Some recreational areas are closed because roadways can’t be properly maintained. Areas that are maintained are sometimes opened later in the season. Visitor centers open later and close earlier. Generous donors to the Fund fill many of these gaps, and it’s a significant boost to those loyal, hard-working rangers who do so much with so little. Consider a donation!

Over the years, Washington’s National Park Fund and park leadership have developed an efficient system. Park superintendents work with their management teams to identify those projects that would drop by the wayside without philanthropic support. While priorities have evolved over the years, today’s four core areas of concentration center on:

The Value of a Volunteer

Each park operates their own volunteering program directly. Through the sweat and toil of volunteers, trails are improved, invasive weeds are pulled, and citizen science is performed. For more info, contact Mount Rainier, North Cascades, or Olympic National Park directly.

But just as important as volunteer work is volunteer donations. Corporations can support Washington's National Park Fund through matching gifts, sponsorships and in-kind gifts, while individuals can donate directly, through the Over the Top Society or Parks for all Seasons, workplace giving or estate gifts. These are vital programs and have been effective at raising funds for the parks; in the last decade, donations have provided more than $7 million for the parks!

Whether you’re a visitor, hiker, camper, skier, climber, kayaker, picnicker, wanderer, events lover, or license plate purchaser, there is a place for YOU at Washington’s National Park Fund!

These are your parks. Enjoy and support them!