Trust for the National Mall
Restoring and renovating the National Mall in Washington, DC, is an exceptional idea given that more than 36 million people set foot on its surface each year and millions more see some image of it during the course of a year. The Trust for the National Mall calls the Mall, “America’s front yard,” and that is not an exaggeration.
The Trust for the National Mall has been a tax-exempt charity since 2002 and is focused on raising $350 million from corporate and individual donors to help the National Park Service upgrade the territory in time for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Their stated objective is “To make the National Mall the best park in the world.”
2018 Contributions Received
$4,157,021
2018 Program Revenue Earned
-$867,271
2018 Net Assets
-$584,260
The Trust has successfully completed a number of high visibility initiatives in recent years including: restoring the Washington Monument following an earthquake, replacing the turf on key areas of the Mall, restoring the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, replacing the Jefferson Memorial seawall, and more.
2018 Salaries
$1,330,944 for 19 employees
(approximately 40% of funds raised annually)
2018 Non-Salary, Non-Grant Expenses
$3,531,119
(approximately 107% of funds raised annually)
The Trust has a highly influential and connected board of directors and list of donor champions to its credit, including the philanthropist David Rubenstein. The Trust has also benefitted greatly from a number of public-private partnerships in its effort to raise a combined $350 million.
Current Board & Volunteers
15 Board Members – 14 Independent of the Organization
100 Volunteers
President & CEO
Catherine J. Townsend (since 2016)
Previously a non-profit consultant
The obvious immediate challenge for the Trust for the National Mall:
To up its game on securing larger gift totals toward the 2026 goal of $350 million raised in a competitive market dominated by COVID-19 priorities.
Generosity Assessment: The Trust for the National Mall has a highly visible mission and a laudable goal and rational deadline. The Trust’s efforts are extremely important to the nation so it will be necessary for the Trust to improve its fundraising success by bringing in more gifts from more sources and also erase the revenue-to-expense ratio given the lack of net assets. They can do this! We believe the Trust for the National Mall is a great candidate for support from:
Principal Gifts
Program Related Investments
More Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships
For more information on the Trust for the National Mall or to make a donation, please visit their web site at: