The National Park Foundation (NPF) is excited to announce a request for a Letter of Interest (LOI) for a new Partner Housing Catalyst Program. This program seeks to identify, support, and accelerate partner led projects that address critical workforce housing shortages in and around national parks, leveraging at least $10 million in NPF private funding to expand community involvement and drive additional philanthropic investment.
A lack of housing options surrounding national parks increasingly hampers staff recruitment and retention, straining operations and resource protection. Rising rents and real estate costs have made it harder to rely on the private sector to meet workforce needs. At the same time, federal laws and regulations restrict the National Park Service’s (NPS) ability to invest in housing outside park boundaries. NPS provides housing for employees based on job duties or when safe, affordable local housing is unavailable and invests continually in its housing portfolio. However, constructing additional housing in parks is not always feasible or desired. Addressing these challenges requires intentional collaboration with community partners, who offer greater flexibility in capital investment and access to diverse financing options.
The Partner Housing Catalyst Program will support partners in bringing additional housing options to parks, recognizing that communities will have varied, location-specific approaches to addressing needs. This opportunity welcomes LOIs ranging from new initiatives in the conceptual stage to shovel-ready projects. The LOIs will help NPF assess the overall national interest from partners and evaluate project preparedness.
Deadline: Submissions are due via email to housing@nationalparks.org by May 30, 2025 (midnight ET). NPF will accept LOIs on a rolling basis thereafter; proposals submitted by the deadline will receive priority review.