In February 2001, the Trust awarded the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation a $1 million, three-year grant for the Grand Canyon Greenway Trail System project. The Greenway is a planned 73-mile network of multi-use, interpretive trails providing access to the rim of Grand Canyon. Construction of the trail system is broken into numerous phases, and Trust funding provided for the completion of the first two trails, totaling just over four miles on the south rim of the Canyon. The trail provides access for persons with disabilities and opens an area of the rim previously inaccessible to the public. Trust dollars also provide for maintenance through a permanent endowment for the system. The South Rim Greenway will eventually extend from Desert View to Grand Canyon Village and westward to Hermits Rest. The approximately 32-mile trail eventually will also travel from the very popular Mather Point to Tusayan, which is a village located roughly nine miles from the Canyon's rim.

Building the Grand Canyon Greenway was a primary recommendation of the 1995 general management plan for Grand Canyon National Park. The intent of the plan is for the Greenway trails to integrate with the overall transportation plan for the Park to help ease visitor congestion, especially at the Canyon's south rim, and increase visitor access to the Canyon's rim. When completed, the 73-mile, $40.6 million Greenway will be the longest wheelchair-accessible network of trails for any park in the nation.

A guiding principle of the Greenway is compatibility with the natural setting, including minimal environmental intrusion. It is designed to follow existing trails, roads and utilities, wherever existing scars are consistent with logical trail placement, in order to limit environmental impact. An equestrian connection from the Arizona Trail, a state-wide trail that crosses Grand Canyon from rim to rim, will be integrated along the Greenway.

Incorporated in 1995, the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving Grand Canyon's irreplaceable natural, cultural and historic resources, while enhancing the visitor experience. The Foundation's mission is building a legacy of stewardship of the Grand Canyon through private philanthropy, volunteer leadership and public outreach. The Foundation also works with many organizations on projects benefiting the environment within the Colorado Plateau.