With more than 6500 state parks and tens of millions of acres of state forests located in every state in the nation, American’s are rich in outdoor recreation opportunities while these lands protect critical cultural and natural resources. Many of these places depend heavily on a vast army of volunteers and nonprofit Friends groups. These volunteers and groups support the work of park managers and staff, raise funds for projects in the parks, help run educational and environmental programs, provide camper services, and much more.

The National Association of State Park Foundations was formed by leadership of park foundations seeking to support one another and the vast networks of volunteers and friends’ groups, while also providing a national voice as advocates for all state parks.