photo by Vicki Dameron

Projects & Programs

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the only partner organization for the Blue Ridge Parkway that allows for maximum flexibility of your donor dollar whether your interests are in education, environmental and resource protection, visitor facilities or cultural heritage. We collaborate closely with the National Park Service to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars each year directly to the programs and projects donors support, making the Foundation the philanthropic partner that meets the widest variety of Parkway needs every day.

Since 1997, over 3 million dollars has been provided for projects and programs at the Parkway that::

Impact Lives through Education and Outreach
Impact the Environment through Natural Resource Preservation and Protection
Impact Cultural Heritage through Historic and Cultural Resource Protection
Impact Visitor Experiences through Facilities and Safety

As you travel along the Parkway, look for these plaques highlighting some of the work that your generosity has helped to provide.

Download the full listing of our project and program expenditures since 1997.

Download the approved grants to the Parkway for 2013.

Featured Projects & Programs

Blue Ridge Parkway Weather

Blue Ridge Parkway Weather Logo The Blue Ridge Parkway is partnering with Ray’s Weather (

read more > about Blue Ridge Parkway Weather

Graveyard Fields

Scheduled to begin in 2013, the Graveyard Fields (MP 418) project is a collaborative effort with the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to improve visitor use and stewardship of this highly trafficked area, and will expand the parking, construct a convenience station and improve the trails and interpretive signs.

read more > about Graveyard Fields

Kids in Parks

Kids in Parks is a program of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and was formed through a partnership between the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Working together with partners throughout the country, their mission is to promote children’s health and the health of our parks by engaging families in outdoor adventures that increase physical activity and foster a meaningful connection to the natural and cultural world.

read more > about Kids in Parks

Music Programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center

For several years, the Foundation has provided support for the music programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center at MP 213. In 2013, the Foundation will take on a much larger role, funding, scheduling and running the concert series at the center.

The Blue Ridge Music Center's mission is to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the music and musicians of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1985, the site includes an outdoor amphitheater and indoor interpretive center used to highlight an important strand of American musical culture, which is still alive and thriving in the region. You can find out more information about the Blue Ridge Music Center and the schedule of concerts at www.blueridgemusiccenter.com.

read more > about Music Programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center

Price Lake Trail Accessibility *

The Price Lake Trail is one of the most popular trails on the Parkway, despite its degraded and often muddy condition. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has committed $25,000 to work with the National Park Service, other partners and volunteers to rehabilitate this trail and enhance the outdoor experience for all park users. Nearly one mile of the existing accessible trail will be restored to meet accessibility standards. Volunteers will build a boardwalk across Laurel Creek, replacing existing planks and a substandard bridge.