Mesa Verde Foundation

A nonprofit organization

$16,110 raised by 76 donors

90% complete

$18,000 Goal

Mesa Verde Foundation (MVF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, philanthropic partner to Mesa Verde National Park MVNP. 

MVF works to secure funding for capital improvements, special projects and educational endeavors that promote an understanding of Mesa Verde National Park’s cultural and natural resources. Mesa Verde Foundation promotes understanding and appreciation of Mesa Verde National Park and develops financial and other resources to support the park in its mission of protecting its cultural, natural, aesthetic, and wilderness values.

OUR MISSION

Mesa Verde Foundation’s mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of Mesa Verde National Park and to develop financial and other resources to support the park in its mission of protecting its cultural, natural, aesthetic, and wilderness values.

OUR GOALS

Beyond the preservation and protection of Mesa Verde National Park, we aim to help fund projects and programs that will enhance the natural and cultural landscapes of the park. Our goals are:

  • to champion educational programs for visitors, community members and members of associated tribes,
  • to preserve the delicate remains of cliff dwellings and ancestral sites,
  • to improve the ways in which visitors interact with the park and the experiences they receive as a result, and
  • to protect and preserve the extraordinary collection of ancestral objects.

MVF has supported many important programs and projects for MVNP over the last twenty-six years. 

In 2023, your contributions assisted us in accomplishing many things. Highlights include:

  • championing the completion and premiere of Mesa Verde’s new interpretive film Footprints of Our Ancestors, 
  • providing two electric bikes and bike supplies for Ranger use,
  • providing funding to scan over 100 years of historical reports, 
  • providing funding to update the We Are Still Here exhibit at the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center,
  • providing water service for the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center, and
  • creating an education committee to proactively seek opportunities to share educational materials and opportunities to tell the story of the Park and its people,  

MVF looks forward to supporting many worthwhile programs and projects for MVNP in the years to come. 

Giving Activity

Mission

Mesa Verde Foundation promotes understanding and appreciation of Mesa Verde National Park and develops financial and other resources to support the park in its mission of protecting its cultural, natural, aesthetic, and wilderness values.

Background Statement

The Mesa Verde Foundation (MVF) was established in 1997 as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit partner to Mesa Verde National Park. Since the federal government is unable to fully fund maintenance and improvements in the country's nearly 400 national parks, it is common throughout the National Park Service (NPS) for private and public sectors to collaborate on significant projects. This is particularly true at Mesa Verde because of the importance of preserving the park's unique cultural heritage and archaeological treasures.

MVF works to secure funding for capital improvements, special projects and educational endeavors that promote an understanding of Mesa Verde National Park’s cultural and natural resources.

Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 when President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Park would be the first national park to "preserve the works of man." It is the nation's seventh-oldest park and is the only national park dedicated to the works of humankind. Located in the Four Corners area of southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde is best known for its spectacular and remarkably well-preserved cliff dwellings. With over 5,000 ancestral sites, including pueblos, kivas and 600 cliff dwellings, the Park offers an incredible view into the lives of Ancestral Puebloan people who inhabited the area for more than 700 years, beginning about 550 A.D. Mesa Verde also houses over three million ancestral objects, including extraordinary ceramics, baskets, sandals, and other ethnographic materials. Mesa Verde is the largest and most significant archeological preserve in the United States and is one of the twelve original World Heritage Sites named by UNESCO in 1978. More than 600,000 people from throughout the United States and around the globe visit Mesa Verde National Park each year.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Mesa Verde Foundation

other names

MVF

Year Established

1997

Category

Arts, Culture & Humanities

Organization Size

Medium Organization

Address

8600 Ralston Road, Suite #100 Suite 1
Arvada, CO 80002

Service areas

Jefferson County, CO, US

Phone

303-321-3120

Social Media