Grand Canyon Association (GCA), a nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, established the Grand Canyon Field Institute (GCFI) in 1993. GCFI’s mission is to share the rich cultural and natural history of Grand Canyon National Park with park visitors, employees, residents, and students, as well as nonvisiting enthusiasts. Through both on-site experience and outreach programming our participants explore the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas in depth.
Over one thousand participants take part in one or more of GCFI’s 100-plus classes annually. Collectively, GCFI’s expert instructors provide over 40,000 educational contact hours each year in support of Grand Canyon National Park. GCFI’s outreach program, which includes Travelin’ Trunks and videos for loan, reaches thousands of students in classrooms across the country.
Other National Parks also offer excellent educational Field Institute programs through their non profit park partners.