Grand Canyon Conservancy, formerly known as Grand Canyon Association, is the National Park Service's official non-profit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, raising private funds, operating retail shops within the park, and providing premier guided educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region. Supporters fund projects including trails and historic building preservation, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat. History Grand Canyon Conservancy was founded in 1932 as the Grand Canyon Natural History Association by naturalist Edwin "Eddie" McKee. A ranger working on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, McKee saw the need for a park partner that would support interpretive programs and publications about the canyon, and from its beginnings the natural history association did just that, funding interpretive talks, research, and scientific papers. In 1937, the GCNHA was legally established as a cooperating association, a private, nonprofit organization whose mission was to support the education and preservation programs of federally protected lands. The purpose of the GCNHA was "to stimulate and encourage scientific research and investigation in the field of geology, botany, zoology, ethnology, archaeology, and related subjects in the Grand Canyon region." In October 1994, the conservancy's board of directors approved changing the name of the association from the Grand Canyon Natural History Association to Grand Canyon Association, in part to emphasize an expanding list of services, books, and products focusing on cultural history, thus not always fitting the bill of "natural history." Today, Grand Canyon Conservancy still serves its founding mission. Membership, general-audience publications, educational outreach, a field institute, and philanthropy programs were added over the years to serve the association's mission of cultivating support, education, and understanding of Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute The Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute was founded in 1993 to support the Grand Canyon National Park's efforts to offer educational and interpretive services. The Field Institute offers over 360 guided hiking, art classes backpacking and river rafting tours and classes at Grand Canyon National Park annually. The Canyon Field School is a collaborative program between Grand Canyon National Park Service, Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute, Arizona Public Service (APS), The McCain Institute, and the Udall Foundation to expand youth education programs at Grand Canyon National Park. Through this program, hundreds of youth will have an opportunity to discover, explore, and learn about by participating in outdoor experiences.