In 2024, Steve and Connie Ballmer gave $25 million to support US National parks; here's where the money is intended to make a difference

In 2024, Steve and Connie Ballmer donated $25 million to the National Park Foundation, the nonprofit organisation that supports the United States’ national parks. The gift was intended to help protect natural landscapes, give more children access to outdoor experiences and fund projects that address environmental challenges.

The donation was inspired by the couple’s connections to places such as Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Channel Islands National Parks. Their list also included Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

The gift comes from parks the couple know well

The foundation says the gift was inspired by the Ballmers’ love of national parks and their connection to them. It named six places: Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Channel Islands National Parks, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

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They’re spread across the country. Bryce Canyon and Zion are in Utah. Death Valley is mostly in California, with a small part in Nevada, and Channel Islands and the Santa Monica Mountains are in California too. Pictured Rocks sits on the Lake Superior shore in Michigan.

The announcement doesn’t say how the $25 million will be split between programs or parks. What it does say is how the foundation wants to use it.

Will Shafroth, the foundation’s president and CEO, said the money can go to the places that need it most. He also said it can be used to bring in other public and private funding. Shafroth added that philanthropy is now doing more for national parks than ever before.

A $25 million gift inside a $1 billion campaign

The Ballmers’ gift supports the foundation’s Campaign for National Parks. The foundation describes it as the largest fundraising effort of its kind for the parks.

The foundation itself plans to raise $1 billion by 2028. Separately, more than 450 park partner organizations across the country are expected to raise another $3.5 billion between them. Add the two together and the campaign is aiming for $4.5 billion.

For scale, $25 million is 2.5 percent of the foundation’s own $1 billion target. It’s a large donation, but the campaign depends on many more of them.

The foundation has done this kind of work for a long time. Congress chartered it in 1967, and it describes itself as the official charity of America’s national parks. It also says private giving has helped develop, expand and preserve the parks for over a century. According to the foundation, that support has come from individuals, corporations and other foundations.

Programs for young people and a changing climate

The foundation named a few programs it plans to support with the gift. It said these are examples and not a full list.

One is Open OutDoors for Kids, which connects children to national parks. Another is the Service Corps, which gives young adults paid work in parks. The jobs include building trails and restoring wetlands.

The third area is climate. The foundation says it will use the funds to help parks adapt to a changing climate, and it gave two examples: Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The announcement doesn’t describe what that adaptation work will involve at either place.

The foundation says it’s working with its park partners to make the case for private giving. It wants more people to understand where parks need help and where donors can step in. The $25 million from the Ballmers is one gift toward a $1 billion target that runs to 2028.