Our Model
The Legacy Fund mobilizes local and international resources to create impact in collaboration with partners, visitors, and volunteers.
How We Work
The Legacy Fund is a small nonprofit program that implements and funds sustainability action projects in Torres del Paine National Park and its surrounding communities. Since 2015, the Legacy Fund has carried out dozens of projects in conjunction with tourism businesses, CONAF (The Chilean Government’s National Forestry Corporation), and most importantly, volunteers.
This volunteer model gives people from all over Chile the opportunity to visit Torres del Paine and spend 7-10 days carrying out conservation and/or infrastructure projects. Besides travel costs to the region, the Legacy Fund covers all costs for volunteers to spend several days in the park, camp, eat, and give back to Torres del Paine. This model allows us to focus on environmental education, build future protected area champions in Chile, and scale our work to meet the many challenges that Patagonia’s protected areas face.
Our 4 Objectives
Preserve and Restore Ecosystems
The Legacy Fund works directly with CONAF Torres del Paine & CONAF Magallanes to ideate and implement projects that protect the national park’s sensitive ecosystems. From invasive species control to reforestation monitoring and planting work, the Legacy Fund team works diligently on ecological conservation and restoration initiatives. Learn more….
Promote Community Development and Stewardship
Since its founding in 2014, the Legacy Fund has worked on various projects to support community development and growth. Through roundtable discussions, presentations to hotel guests, and training local guides, the Legacy Fund seeks to promote responsible tourism practices throughout the value chain. The Legacy Fund also invests in local projects that promote community development, and in 2016, helped to jumpstart Puerto Natales’ first recycling program. Read more…
Improve Infrastructure and Mitigate Visitor Impacts
Growing visitation to Torres del Paine has placed increased strain on the park’s fragile, overused trail system. The Legacy Fund designs and maintains sustainable trails, constructs bridges and boardwalks, and invests in other infrastructure projects to ensure that growing tourism does not cause ecological harm. Learn about our projects…
Diversify Recreation Opportunities and Tourism Products
Tourism to this part of Chilean Patagonia is almost exclusively marketed towards Torres del Paine and partaking in the Base of the Towers trek, the W Trek, and day trips to the park. The Legacy Fund seeks to breathe life into tourism products by investing in new trail and product opportunities both in the park and in the surrounding gateway communities. As a part of its COVID-19 reactivation fund, the Legacy Fund encourages new tourism products and businesses to apply for seed-funding here.
Biennial Report.
Created with support from our partner Patagonia Creativa, our 2018-2020 Biennial Report highlights the impact our organization has had over the last two years. Check it out!