The Goals of the National Recreation and Park Association are:

• To promote public awareness and support for recreation, park and leisure services as they relate to the constructive use of leisure and thereby to the social stability of a community and the physical and mental health of individuals. NRPA strives to promote public awareness of the environmental and natural resource management aspects of recreation and leisure services.
• To facilitate the development, maintenance, expansion and improvement of socially and environmentally relevant public policy that supports recreation, parks and leisure programs and services.
• To enhance the development of parks, recreation and tourism professionals and to provide services that contribute to the development of NRPA members.
• To promote the development and dissemination of the body of knowledge in order to improve the delivery of service, increase understanding of leisure behavior and expand the body of knowledge relative to parks and recreation programs and services.