The Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected 4 million acres of public land, created 5,364 outdoor spaces, raised $93 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected more than 9 million people to the outdoors. We were founded in 1972 on the conviction that all people need access to nature and the outdoors, close to home, in the cities and communities where they live. We work with communities to create parks and protect public land where they’re needed most, as a matter of health, equity, and justice.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Environmental - Environmental Science and Research
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)
About Us
At the Trust for Public Land, we don't just save land—we save land for people to enjoy, from neighborhood parks to national parks. We depend on the ongoing support of individuals to make sure our work carries on well into the future.
Our mission is to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Every park, playground, and public space we create is an open invitation to explore, wonder, discover, and play. We're proud to say that we've been connecting communities to the outdoors—and to each other—since 1972. Today, millions of Americans live within a 10-minute walk of a park or natural area we helped create, and countless more visit every year.
The Trust for Public Land is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Our Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 23-7222333.
Spending time in nature—days, hours, or just a few minutes—enriches our lives. It makes us feel rejuvenated. Healthier. Happier.
Our mission is to create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Every park, playground, and public space we help create is an open invitation for everyone to explore, wonder, discover, and play.
We're proud to say that we've been connecting communities to the outdoors—and to each other—since 1972. Today, millions of Americans live within a 10-minute walk of a park or natural area we've helped create, and countless more visit every year.
How we do it:
PLAN
We bring the whole community together to identify and prioritize land for parks and conservation—and chart a course to protect and sustain it. Decision-makers rely on our rigorous data analysis and innovative mapping techniques to make the most of their resources.
FUND
We help craft measures and pass legislation to secure funding for parks and conservation. Our cutting-edge research empowers advocates to make the case for parks and open space in their communities.
PROTECT
From pocket parks to vast backcountry escapes, our real estate experts help partners acquire and safeguard land for the public. We structure, negotiate, and execute conservation transactions that benefit the whole community.
CREATE
We engage communities in designing and building innovative parks that foster a strong sense of place and connection to nature. We teach stewardship and management techniques to ensure new parks are used, maintained, and loved well after opening day.
Our Work
Our History
The Trust for Public Land was founded in 1972 with the goal of protecting land in and around cities and pioneering new land conservation techniques. Over the years, our work expanded to include projects from the inner city to the wilderness, and our broad experience has made us a national leader and innovator in city park creation, state and local conservation funding, and using GIS for conservation planning.
Founded for innovationNot long after the first Earth Day, a group of lawyers, real estate professionals, and finance experts founded The Trust for Public Land to bring the legal and financial strategies of modern business to the cause of conservation. In the early years, we shared this knowledge with other conservationists and fostered the growth of the local land trust movement to protect open space for communities across the West.
Planning and funding conservationIn the 1990s, responding to an emerging need, we established our Conservation Finance service to help communities organize and pass conservation ballot measures. We pioneered watershed conservation to safeguard drinking water and the use of conservation easements to protect working farms and ranches. Most recently, we launched an award-winning Conservation Vision and GISservice to help communities identify which lands to protect and where parks are needed most.
Moving forwardToday, The Trust for Public Land brings forty years of expertise to conservation projects across the country. In cities, we’re turning vacant lots into community-designed parks and playgrounds. And we're addressing the looming climate crisis with strategies to help reduce greenhouse gasses, promote climate adaptation, and create park-rich, climate-smart cities.