Mississippi Park Connection

Mississippi Park Connection is dedicated to preserving the Mississippi River's resources and providing enriching visitor experiences in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Our philanthropic partnership with the National Park Service ignites discovery and lifelong relationships between people and the Mississippi River.

Join us in celebrating 15 years of Mississippi Park Connection and help us kick-off Give to the Max Day 2022! This year, we have a goal of raising $150,000 by the end of the year to commemorate our 15 year anniversary.

Through youth education, environmental stewardship and community engagement, we mobilize residents and visitors, and serve as a model for operating a national park in an urban area where people are part of the landscape.

Whether you’re coming to the Mississippi River for the first time or walk in the park daily, you can benefit from the visitor services and educational programs our donors support in the park. Mississippi River Paddle Share helps you paddle around the river without the need to bring your own car, kayak, or gear. Volunteers steward the river's forests and prairies to support wildlife habitat. Thousands of school kids have their very first National Park experience in the heart of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Donors make this work possible!

Share your love for the Mississippi River!

To each of us, the river has its own meaning, its own spirit, and its own story. Mississippi Park Connection serves to honor individual connections and break down systemic barriers to access on the river. By providing resources, equipment, education, and staff support, we lift up others in developing their personal relationships with the river.

We work in community and in partnership to promote generosity across the region. With support from people like you, we help visitors connect with the Mississippi River through adventures, volunteering and the arts, and we fund grants for high-priority projects, including restoration, educational programs, community-led wildlife monitoring, and new park facilities. We have a lot of exciting projects in the works!

Donor support for 15 years has provided:

• 2008: First scholarship offered for school field trips to the river. 171,601 children have experienced their national park through school field trips. 
• 2010: Joint volunteer program begins. Since then volunteers have provided more 165,000 hours to the park.
• 2012: Mississippi River Fellowship Program begins. Each summer, three underrepresented and/or BIPOC interns gain early career experiences with the National Park Service. 
• 2016: Mississippi River Paddle Share begins – 12,079 kayaks have been rented since then.
• 2018: Launched Plant for the Future Campaign. 15,433 trees planted. 
• 2020: BIPOC in the Outdoors and Veterans Affinity Programming begins. Since then, 37 affinity events have connected affinity communities to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. 
• 2022: Design begins for River Learning Center + National Park Headquarters
• and more! 

Next Steps:

1. Make a donation to fund our programs! Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $7,500 thanks to a generous donor! 

2. Share our campaign on Facebook or use the "Fundraise" tab to help us reach our goal. Every post helps!

3. Get inspired! Take a walk by the river or visit an area of the national park you haven't seen before.

Thank you for considering a donation to Mississippi Park Connection! When you make a gift, you’re making a tangible difference for one of the world’s greatest natural treasures. We offer special supporter benefits to thank donors for the essential role they play in the Mississippi River. Between November 1-17, all donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $7,500 thanks to a generous donor!

Mississippi Park Connection is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
Donations are tax-deductible. Our EIN is: 87-0786530.
Mississippi Park Connection will not share/sell your email information.

You may also make a direct donation to parkconnection.org/donate 

If you have any questions, please contact:
Anna Waugh, Communications and Development Manager
awaugh@parkconnection.org
651-291-8164