JACKSON, Wyo. — In 1997, Jack Neckels, Grand Teton National Park’s superintendent at the time, approached business leader and philanthropist Jerry Halpin with the idea of forming a nonprofit that would raise funds for a new visitor center, the conversation led to what is now, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
The Foundation began under the leadership of Haplin as board chair and a group of founding board members who agreed to help. The board, along with superintendents Neckels, Steve Martin, Mary Gibson Scott, and the late Senator Craig Thomas, who facilitated an $8.5 million federal match of the private funding, was successful in raising $16.8 million.
On Aug. 11, 2007, the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center opened to the public. It is estimated that more than 5 million people have visited the impressive building designed by Peter Bohlin of BCJ Architects.
Since the visitor center’s opening, the Foundation and its work in partnership with the park has flourished. From annual initiatives supporting youth engagement, wildlife research, and historic preservation, to the multiyear renewal of trails and visitor services at Jenny Lake and the protection of 640 acres of critical habitat on Antelope Flats, this partnership has had a tremendous and long-lasting impact on Grand Teton.
“We are proud and honored to celebrate our twenty-fifth year,” Grand Teton National Park Foundation President Leslie Mattson said. “Our success would not be possible without our dedicated supporters who care so deeply for this incredible national park and ecosystem. As we look to the future, we are confident that together we can enable tremendous outcomes to ensure the park we love today inspires visitors for decades to come.”
“On behalf of Grand Teton National Park, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation for the support that they have so generously provided,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said. “The Foundation has been generating philanthropic support for the park for twenty-five years to fund projects that protect and enhance Grand Teton National Park’s treasured resources. The Foundation initiates improvements, critical research, and projects that improve visitors’ experiences, creating a solid future for Grand Teton.”
Since 1997, 6,657 donors have gifted more than $100 million to Grand Teton National Park Foundation to engage youth, conserve natural resources, preserve historic landscapes and create meaningful visitor experiences.
Over the past 25 years, the Foundation has accomplished a number of projects and initiatives with Grand Teton National Park including:
- Supported the construction of the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, a 22,000-square-foot facility that orients, educates and inspires visitors to make discoveries of their own in Grand Teton— the Foundation’s flagship project.
- Transformed backcountry trails and front-country facilities at Grand Teton’s most iconic destination—Jenny Lake. (NPS Centennial gift in 2016)
- Conserved 640 acres of critical wildlife habitat by helping the park purchase an inholding on Antelope Flats that was owned by the state of Wyoming and threatened with potential development. (Purchased in 2016)
- Funded impactful conservation and research programs for gray wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, pronghorn, bison, osprey, bighorn sheep, mule deer, cutthroat trout, and more to help conserve Grand Teton’s wildlife through informed decision making. (Ongoing)
- Preserved irreplaceable historical structures including the Bar BC Dude Ranch, Lucas Fabian Homestead, and more to maintain cultural treasures from Grand Teton’s storied past. (Ongoing)
- Engaged more than 1,000 young people in Grand Teton through five programs that are creating the next generation of park stewards and leaders. (Ongoing)
- Educated countless park visitors about resource protection and safety through four volunteer programs—Wildlife Brigade, String Lakers, Nordic Ambassadors, and Snake River Ambassadors. (Ongoing)
- Purchased the last privately-held inholding on Mormon Row, which was transferred to the park for inclusion in the historic district and is now utilized for seasonal workforce housing. (2018)
- Initiated a multiyear project to enhance existing visitor access points, address environmental damage, and improve facilities at three heavily-used locations along the Snake River—Pacific Creek Landing, Jackson Lake Dam, and Moose Landing. (Started in 2020, projected completion in 2024)
