Great River Passage Conservancy

What Great River Passage Conservancy does

Great River Passage Conservancy is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based nonprofit conservancy founded in 2018 that works to reconnect the city to the Mississippi River across a 17-mile shoreline covering 3,500 acres, 17 parks, 6 major trails, and 5 historic sites. The organization operates as a project development and fundraising partner to the City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, stewarding a capital project pipeline that includes the planned Mississippi River Learning Center (a mixed-use facility at Watergate Marina housing the National Park Service Mississippi National River and Recreation Area headquarters), the nearly two-mile Downtown Riverwalk, the Dousman Park Playground Revitalization, and the Green Up Saint Paul urban forestry initiative responding to Emerald Ash Borer tree loss. Its core business model is philanthropy- and event-driven: donations and major gifts from corporate and foundation partners (NBA Foundation, Knight Foundation, Securian Foundation, Ecolab, 3M, Xcel Energy, St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation), ticketed fundraising events (Play Ball Gala at $150-$300, Dousman Park fundraiser at $25-$500), branded merchandise sold through an e-commerce shop, and government grants. The conservancy runs a small staff of 5 employees supported by a volunteer network and Park Friends Groups, and in November 2025 announced a merger with Saint Paul Parks Conservancy to consolidate operations across all 181 Saint Paul parks.

Name

Great River Passage Conservancy

Legal name

Saint Paul Parks Conservancy

Website

https://greatriverpassage.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Great River Passage Conservancy is a St. Paul, Minnesota nonprofit founded in 2018 that raises funds and develops capital projects to reconnect Saint Paul communities to 17 miles of Mississippi River shoreline, 17 parks, and 5 historic sites, in partnership with the City of Saint Paul.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue stream through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and major gift campaigns to support park improvements and conservation efforts.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, and park-themed products through the SPPC shop.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue from ticketed events including Play Ball Gala ($150-$300 per ticket), Dousman Park fundraiser ($25-$75 individual tickets, $500 VIP booth), and other community fundraising events.
4. Grant Funding: Government and foundation grants including NBA Foundation $100,000 grant for Right Track Youth Employment Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Great River Passage Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that designs and delivers community-driven park improvement and conservation projects along Saint Paul's Mississippi River corridor, executes the Great River Passage Master Plan, and hosts community engagement events such as the Great Park Walk. The organization is currently integrating into the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy.

Product overview

The Great River Passage Conservancy operates as a multi-initiative conservation and parks organization rather than a single product company. Its core portfolio centers on the Great River Passage Initiative, which encompasses the Mississippi River Learning Center — a mixed-use NPS headquarters and environmental education facility — and the Downtown Riverwalk, a nearly two-mile connected riverfront pathway. These are complemented by Equal Play Investments targeting equitable park access, citywide Park Improvements, the Great Park Walk app-based adventure program, annual fundraising events (Party for the Parks Gala and Play Ball Gala), the Green Up Saint Paul urban forestry initiative, the Dousman Park Playground Revitalization project, and a retail merchandise shop selling branded park-related products. The organization functions as a project development and fundraising partner for the City of Saint Paul rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Great Park Walk community engagement event Ticketed, community-wide engagement event that mobilizes residents to visit multiple park sites along Saint Paul's Mississippi River corridor, supported by the GooseChase mobile platform.
• Conservation merchandise storefront Retail storefront offering conservation-themed apparel and merchandise, with proceeds supporting park improvement projects along the Mississippi River corridor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 million+ annual visitors to river parks including 30,000 children
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Great River Passage ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2025Great River Passage Conservancy and Saint Paul Parks Conservancy announced a merger effective November 18, 2025, to expand impact. The combined organization will work to reconnect communities to Saint Paul's 17 miles of Mississippi River shoreline through unified fundraising and project development efforts.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Park Service serves as tenant and education/programming partner for the Mississippi River Learning Center, which will house the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area headquarters.
• City of Saint Paul Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner serving as landowner and project manager for river parks. Owns the Mississippi River Learning Center and other major park facilities.
• Mississippi Park ConnectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing education and programming at the Mississippi River Learning Center, focused on connecting visitors to the river through interpretive experiences.
• Wilderness InquirycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing recreation and inclusive outdoor programming, ensuring accessibility for people of all backgrounds and abilities.
• State of MinnesotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner involved in funding and supporting Mississippi River Learning Center project through bonding and state programs.
• Capitol Region Watershed DistrictsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal watershed authority supporting environmental stewardship and water quality initiatives along the Mississippi River corridor.
• SecuriansupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Downtown Riverwalk project through Securian Foundation sustainability and community strengthening initiatives.
• City of Saint Paul Public WorkssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity department supporting riverwalk infrastructure development and traffic/access improvements.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SaintPaulParksConservancy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-river-passage-conservancy
• Instagraminstagram.com/lovesaintpaulparks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great River Passage Conservancy