History and Strategies

The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Tennessee’s natural treasures. We were established in 1997 as the result of a merger between the Tennessee State Parks Foundation and the Tennessee Greenways Program of The Conservation Fund. 

The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation has a dedicated staff and is governed by a dedicated Board of Directors made up of prominent citizens, businessmen, elected officials, park professionals and others committed to the cause of conservation of Tennessee’s lands and waters.

Our funding is based solely on private contributions and grants. Our current operating budget is $462,176. We are a lean organization and we work hard to multiply and stretch donor dollars as far as possible to protect lands, build trails, and help others with conservation projects.

We believe the identification, preservation, and protection of the most ecologically-rich, historically-significant, and incredibly beautiful places in Tennessee is vital to protecting wildlife, improving water and air quality, providing close-to-home recreation opportunities, and creating sustainable communities and regions.

Millikan’s Overlook, at Fall Creek Falls State Park – 420 acres were for sale in the middle of this vista. The Foundation’s first land protection project forged a partnership with Tennessee State Parks and The Conservation Fund to protect this view and the 420 acres that split the park. Your gift will help us continue our work.

Photo by Byron Jorjorian

Our vision is to create a network of parks, greenways, and wildlife areas across Tennessee that promotes quality of life and links people to their natural and cultural heritage. The Foundation has three strategies to accomplish this vision.  We:

• Conserve Tennessee Treasures;
• Create Corridor Connections; and
• Foster initiatives by others through Conservation Education.

Tennessee Treasures. These are wonderful, extraordinary places that need to be conserved for public use and enjoyment, in perpetuity. We work to identify and protect the most beautiful, ecologically-rich, and historically-significant places in Tennessee. We believe this is vital to protecting wildlife, improving water and air quality, providing close-to-home recreation opportunities, and creating sustainable communities and regions. Privately-held waterfalls, as well as in-holdings and boundary properties important to existing parks, have been identified as a focus of our work. We also provide loans to other organizations for critical land conservation projects across the state through our Emergency Land Bank.

Corridor Connections. Corridor connections help create sustainable communities and regions by linking natural land or water features, parks, nature reserves, cultural features and historic sites with each other and with populated areas. Through our State Park Connections small grants program, we encourage people to get outdoors to connect with nature and each other; promote physical fitness and healthy lifestyles; protect key wildlife habitats and natural areas; enrich communities by creating parks and open spaces; preserve significant cultural and historical areas; and enhance Tennessee’s tourist-based economy. To date, we have given away $250,904 to fund over 151 new greenway and trail projects.

Conservation Education. We lead hikes, conduct workshops, and facilitate meetings statewide to educate the public about the protection of natural resources, historic and/or cultural sites, environmental and scientific topics, health benefits, and to encourage the interaction of people and nature. We believe this is an effective and efficient conservation strategy that educates, stimulates, expands, and fosters conservation initiatives by others and promotes positive change at the local level.

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