Kohl’s Donates $100,000 to the National Park Foundation
Funding supports efforts to increase accessibility and inclusivity in national parks
In recognition of June’s Great Outdoors Month, Kohl’s is announcing a $100,000 donation to the National Park Foundation’s (NPF) Outdoor Exploration program. With this donation, Kohl’s is supporting initiatives like ParkVentures, a grant program that provides funding to nonprofits with the goal of making national parks more welcoming and accessible for all communities. Since the inception of ParkVentures in 2021, NPF has collaborated with community-based nonprofits across the country to fund 58 programs at 51 national parks. Kohl's and Kohl’s Cares have provided more than $500,000 in funding to NPF since 2020. Read below to find out more about what our funding supports.
Camping to Connect
One of the ParkVentures projects that Kohl’s funding supports is Young Masterminds Initiative’s Camping to Connect program, which uses outdoor recreation and nature to instill self-reliance, healthy lifestyle choices, leadership, and brotherhood for BIPOC men. Utilizing grant funding, in 2022, Camping to Connect brought a group of 60 young men from New York City and Philadelphia to a national park for a hiking and camping trip. Campers learned basic safety and wilderness survival skills, participated in leadership-building sessions, and more.
Project Healing Waters
Project Healing Waters also received a ParkVentures grant. With support from NPF and Kohl’s, Project Healing Waters aims to create safe and accessible spaces for veterans — many of whom are recovering from traumatic brain injuries and PTSD — in national parks through fly fishing. The ParkVentures grant covers costs related to the fishing excursions and other outreach events in national parks. Through this experience, veterans are able to become reacquainted with simple acts of normalcy in a safe and accessible space.
Additional Programming Examples
Through ParkVentures, Kohl’s funding also supports programs like the Outdoor Outreach Climbing Over Barriers program, which aims to engage youth from underrepresented communities through rock climbing. In addition, through ParkVentures, NPF has collaborated with El Centro de las Americas to produce bilingual videos so more people can access and learn about the history of national parks.
To learn more about NPF, visit nationalparks.org.
Photo is courtesy of Young Masterminds Initiative.
