The National Park Foundation (NPF), the nation’s most trusted way for people to support America’s national parks, today announced $3.5 million in philanthropic support for new exhibits and an educational film at the revitalized visitor center at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harper Ferry, Iowa. The funding was made possible with a $3 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and a $500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
This funding will help the renovated visitor center tell the full story of this historical park site. Through the exhibits and film, the National Park Service (NPS), the local community, and the 19 tribal nations that are affiliated with the monument will work together on a truthful account of the site’s cultural heritage, alongside its spiritual, geological, archaeological, and historic significance.
“The renovated visitor center at Effigy Mounds will give people a welcoming, accessible place to begin their visit and understand what makes this landscape so extraordinary,” said Mike Reynolds, Chief Program Officer at the National Park Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of Helmsley Charitable Trust and Lilly Endowment, new exhibits and a new park film will share the story of this park, told through the voices of affiliated tribal nations, with every visitor who comes through the doors.”
The center will invite first-time and returning visitors to stay longer and offer meaningful learning experiences to those who cannot use the park’s trails. A new 20-minute film, produced in high definition with open captions and audio description, will feature the voices of tribal representatives and support ongoing work to build relationships and further healing with tribal nations whose history and perspectives have too often been misrepresented or left out.
Together, the exhibits and film will help visitors understand the deep connections between the mounds, the surrounding landscape, and the tribal nations for whom these places are culturally and spiritually significant, linking the stories shared inside the visitor center to the resources beyond its doors.
“Effigy Mounds is a place of profound cultural, historical, and spiritual significance, and its story deserves to be told with the depth, honesty, and respect it deserves,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “We are proud to support a visitor experience that honors the tribal nations connected to this sacred landscape and gives more people the opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect with nature. We know that access to the outdoors is important to health and well-being, and we hope this renewed visitor center will help visitors build a deeper connection to this extraordinary place.”
Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves outstanding examples of mounds built by Indigenous peoples of the American Midwest. The area’s natural resources and beauty lay beyond the reach of the last glacial advance, which made it an ideal place to gather, celebrate, and build mounds together. These earthworks were a regional cultural phenomenon with many shaped like birds, bears, deer, bison, lynx, turtles, and water spirits.
For the 19 tribal nations affiliated with the monument, the mounds are more than sites for archaeological and scientific study: they are places of interconnected cultural and spiritual significance. Lilly Endowment’s grant was approved through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
“We appreciate the National Park Foundation and the generous support provided by the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Lilly Endowment Inc. for this important project,” said Susan Snow, superintendent of Effigy Mounds National Monument. “These new exhibits and educational materials will help us share the monument’s rich history and cultural significance, working with our affiliated tribal nations to enhance the visitor experience.”
The Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund is funding the rehabilitation of the visitor center building, which will improve its layout, accessibility, and building systems, and address moisture problems affecting the museum collection and indoor air quality. Federal Highway Administration funds are also supporting a parking lot improvement project.
The new visitor center is expected to open in Summer 2029.
About the National Park Foundation
The National Park Foundation is the nation’s most trusted way for people to support America’s national parks. We work with the National Park Service and partners across the country to fund priority projects that keep parks strong, relevant, and accessible. This work helps ensure parks continue to inspire pride across the country and offer experiences that create meaningful connection. In 2025, NPF funded $100 million in on-the-ground priority projects nationwide, made possible through the generosity of donors, to advance critical work, including infrastructure, restoration, education, and access, ensuring parks continue to endure for generations to come. Learn more at nationalparks.org and follow NPF on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
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