Poudre Heritage Alliance Receives New Capacity Building Grant from National Park Foundation

The Poudre Heritage Alliance has received a Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity-building grant from the National Park Foundation to deliver economic befits within the National Heritage Areas, strengthen local and regional partnerships and promote a range of heritage tourism.

The grant was given to 36 partner organizations, including the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA). The grant program addresses nonprofit park partner needs that have come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so grateful to receive this capacity-building grant from the National Park Foundation to build on the base of our Colorado Heritage Journey project, especially as our destination partners work towards tourism recovery post-COVID-19,”  said Kathleen Benedict, Executive Director at the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. “Heritage tourism helps to protect the resources that define our community’s distinct character and promote a sense of place. We hope our efforts today will support the future stewardship of these significant resources tomorrow,” Kathleen said.

These grants will enable park partners nation-wide to expand their impact through new technology, website redesigns, creative visitor engagement, strategic plan development, fundraising campaigns, professional development, and much more. Strong Parks, Strong Communities is a collective effort aimed at growing national park philanthropy, which consists of nearly 450 local philanthropic organizations across the nation.

The National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and Friends Alliance are working together on this initiative to enhance local philanthropic organizations, bringing park philanthropy to an elevated level. The Strong Parks, Strong Communities capacity building grant is made possible by the National Park Foundation Board of Directors.

“The National Park Foundation is committed to increasing national park philanthropy across the board and being responsive to current needs,” said LaTresse Snead, chief program officer for the National Park Foundation. “The capacity-building grants help advance park partners’ goals to preserve natural and cultural resources, increase access to public lands for all people, and develop innovative programming,” LaTresse said.

For more information regarding the Poudre Heritage Alliance, visit: https://www.poudreheritage.org/ or to learn more about the National Park Foundation, visit: www.nationalparks.org