National Park Foundation Awards $1.2 Million in Grants to Support Youth and Community Fishing Experiences in Parks Across the Country

Thousands of children, families, and communities will have the opportunity to learn to fish with national park rangers at more than 50 national parks.

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The National Park Foundation is excited to announce its largest investment to date in Junior Ranger Angler programming across the country, having awarded $1.2 million in grants to 57 national parks, park partners, and community-based organizations. These grantees will host in-park fishing clinics, set up gear libraries, and more to provide increased opportunities for children, families, and communities to enjoy the outdoors and national parks.

The Junior Ranger Angler program was created by the National Park Service to give young park visitors — typically between the ages of 5-13, but open to anyone young at heart — a meaningful opportunity to gain new skills, connect with park rangers, and start building lifelong relationships with parks as they learn to fish. With NPF’s support of more than 200 Junior Ranger Angler projects to-date, the program has been able to reach parks and communities across the country. Just last year, NPF supported 670 fishing clinics for more than 20,000 participants.

“Junior Ranger Angler is about getting kids, families, and communities hooked on the great outdoors through unforgettable park adventures,” said NPF’s Chief Program Officer Lise Aangeenbrug. “People care about what they feel connected to. When they’re learning to cast a line and earning their Junior Ranger Angler badges, our hope is that they’re establishing a lifelong connection to our national parks and inspiring a commitment to protect these places.”

This year’s 57 grantees will use fishing to inspire, educate, and engage the next generation of park stewards through collaborative community-centered programs.  A few highlights include:

• Acadia National Park will pilot new programming geared toward local teenagers, including an adventure experience focused on fishing, stewardship of the land, and campcraft, and a longer-term monthly group pairing youth with mentors to develop outdoor skills around fishing.
• Boston Harbor Now will host events at the Boston Harbor Islands to introduce local youth and their families to saltwater fishing as they explore the harbor and islands, learn about aquatic species and their habitats, develop safe fishing practices, and forge meaningful connections to the harbor, islands, and each other.
• Dunes Learning Center will host a catch-and-release fishing program at Indiana Dunes National Park that teaches children the basics of fishing, the science of water quality, the importance of aquatic wildlife, and how to keep their local waterways healthy for fish and for people.
• The Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument will work in partnership with other local groups to help connect people more closely to Medgar Evers’s story through his passions: recreational fishing and youth mentorship.
• Yellowstone Forever and Yellowstone National Park will work together to integrate accessible angling and aquatic science activities into a variety of youth and educator programs.

View the full list of this year’s grantees here.

The National Park Foundation is proud to support the Junior Ranger Angler program by providing grants funded by generous donors and partners, including Nature Valley, Subaru of America, Niantic, Sun Outdoors, Winnebago Motorhome and Winnebago Industries Foundation.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. We do it in collaboration with the National Park Service, the park partner community, and with the generous support of donors, without whom our work would not be possible. Learn more at nationalparks.org.

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SOURCE National Park Foundation

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