Linking Donors: The Private Funding Behind the Appalachian Trail

Posted by Jeff on Mar 5, 2018 @ 6:53 am in Hiking News | 0 comments | Last modified: March 4, 2018

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is an interesting animal in that, not unlike the huge trail itself, it links together a lot of varied parts. The nonprofit is a cooperative of local, state and federal government agencies, and 31 local organizations looking after a footpath that spans 14 states and more than 2,000 miles.

As you can imagine, working across that many geographies and entities on such a large task warrants some serious fundraising to provide connective tissue. As with other groups sticking up for treasured public lands, the conservancy has been working to bump up its fundraising, and recently landed a $3 million grant from a Virginia family foundation.

That’s a pretty big score when it comes to trails philanthropy. Then again, the AT is not just any trail, running from Georgia to Maine and serving some 3 million hikers a year. The latest grant will fund efforts to protect the trail’s lands, waters and cultural features, as a large component of the conservancy’s mission includes land protection, management and other conservation efforts for its more than 250,000 acres of public lands.

This big grant for the Appalachian Trail comes amid a surge of philanthropic giving for parks, plus a notable increase in private funding toward the National Park Service from individuals, foundations and corporations alike. We’ve also seen some pretty big giving for trail systems.

Of course, while donors are willing to step up, there is a dark backdrop to such donations, as protections are gutted by Ryan Zinke’s Department of the Interior, leaving public lands more vulnerable than they have been in many years.

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