Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$52,099,889

Total expenses

$47,586,451

Contributions and grants received

$31,149,160

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$17,312,567

Investment income

$312,121

Other revenue

$3,326,041

Total assets, end of year

$24,951,866

Total liabilities, end of year

$9,310,365

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$15,641,501

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$42,161,024

Management and general expenses

$3,212,069

Fundraising expenses

$2,213,358

Program service expenses (Part III)

$42,161,024

Program services were 88.6% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2025

• CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: CAPITAL EXPENSES AT THE YORK STREET LOCATION ARE EXPENSED WHEN INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE GARDENS' COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER. THE CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER OWNS THE PROPERTIES OPERATED BY THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS.CAPITAL EXPENSES AT THE CHATFIELD LOCATION ARE EXPENSED WHEN INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE GARDENS' LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. MAJOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN 2025 INCLUDED THE COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW WELCOME CENTER AT CHATFIELD FARMS AND ASSOCIATED SITE IMPROVEMENTS, REPRESENTING THE FIRST PHASE OF ITS MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

  Expenses $6,082,403

• VISITOR EXPERIENCE: IN 2025, 1,415,654 INDIVIDUALS VISITED THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS. SEVEN EXHIBITIONS OPENED IN THE FREYER NEWMAN CENTER GALLERIES, FEATURING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS. AN ADDITIONAL POP-UP EXHIBITION OF WORK BY STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION WAS STAGED ON THE ROBERT ANDREW MING BRIDGE. BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITION BLUE GRASS, GREEN SKIES: AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM AND REALISM FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART FEATURED A SELECTION OF LANDSCAPES AND URBAN SCENES, COMPLEMENTED BY LARGE GOLD FRAMES SITED THROUGHOUT THE GARDENS HIGHLIGHTING SCENIC VIEWS. EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED NOURISHED: WORKS BY JAZZ HOLMES AND ANNA KAYE: FINDING LIGHT, BOTH PRESENTING EMERGING COLORADO ARTISTS. FOUR TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS TOURED TO FIVE VENUES NATIONWIDE, INCLUDING SPIRIT GUIDES: FANTASTICAL CREATURES FROM THE WORKSHOP OF JACOBO AND MARA ANGELES AT FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND DALLAS ARBORETUM IN DALLAS, TEXAS. THREE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE (LAURA BALL, SONG KANG AND KELSEY WILSON) COLLABORATED WITH GARDENS STAFF TO CREATE ARTWORK EXPLORING HUMANITY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATURAL WORLD, CULMINATING IN ORIGINAL WORKS ACQUIRED INTO THE GARDENS' ART COLLECTION. BLOSSOMS OF LIGHT, THE GARDENS' LARGEST EVENT, WELCOMED 193,404 VISITORS. THE GARDENS ALSO HOSTED EVENINGS AL FRESCO AND GLOW AT THE GARDENS IN ADDITION TO AN ONLINE SPRING PLANT SALE & FALL PLANT & BULB SALE.

  Expenses $9,473,554 · Revenue $14,269,479

• EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS WORKS TO BE A WELCOMING, DIVERSE, AND ACCESSIBLE PLACE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, OFFERING REDUCED-FEE AND FREE-ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, ABILITIES, AND BACKGROUNDS CAN EXPERIENCE AND BENEFIT FROM ITS GARDENS, COLLECTIONS, AND PROGRAMS. IN 2025, DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS' EDUCATION PROGRAMS REACHED 39,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN, PROVIDING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES, STANDARDS-BASED SCIENCE LESSONS AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE THE MARVELS OF THE PLANT WORLD, BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. ABOUT 20% OF THESE CHILDREN CAME FROM LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS AND BENEFITED FROM THE GARDENS' EDUCATIONAL ACCESS PROGRAM. MORE THAN 13,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS WHILE THE MORDECAI CHILDREN'S GARDEN CONTINUED TO FLOURISH. ADULT CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS SERVED 30,000 REGISTRANTS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF CONTENT AREAS. THE HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY OFFERED PUBLIC, IN-PERSON ACCESS SIX DAYS A WEEK AND ELECTRONIC ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.OUTREACH PROGRAMS ARE A CORNERSTONE IN THE GARDENS' MISSION AND INCLUDE HORTICULTURE THERAPY FOR THE ELDERLY, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND CANCER PATIENTS. OUR URBAN FOOD INITIATIVES PROVIDED FRESH PRODUCE TO LOCAL FOOD DESERT COMMUNITIES, DISTRIBUTING 15,000 POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS.

  Expenses $8,072,158 · Revenue $1,775,350

• OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE

  Expenses $7,023,354

• HORTICULTURE, SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION: DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LIVING PLANT COLLECTIONS AND HORTICULTURAL GARDEN DISPLAYS, WHICH INCLUDE MORE THAN 57,000 LIVING PLANTS, BELONGING TO 10,000+ SPECIES AND MORE THAN 36,000 ACCESSIONS. OUR WIDE RANGE OF GARDENS ILLUSTRATE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PLANTS AND PEOPLE. OUR DIVERSE COLLECTIONS FEATURE PLANTS FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD, FROM THE TROPICS TO THE TUNDRA. DISTINCTIVE GARDENS DEFINE AND CELEBRATE OUR REGIONAL SENSE OF PLACE IN OUR UNIQUE HIGH ALTITUDE, SEMI-ARID CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY. AS AN ACCREDITED MUSEUM, OUR DIVERSE COLLECTIONS ARE USED FOR EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PURE ENJOYMENT. AMONG OUR LIVING COLLECTIONS RESIDE TWO NATIONAL COLLECTIONS REGISTERED WITH THE NATIONAL PLANT COLLECTIONS NETWORK (PCN): OAKS (QUERCUS) AND ALPINES OF THE WORLD. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS CLOSELY LINKED TO EVERYTHING AT THE GARDENS. THE CORE MOTIVATION OF OUR SCIENTIFIC WORK IS TO INVESTIGATE AND EXPLAIN BIODIVERSITY PATTERNS AND PROCESSES. WE ACTIVELY CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, SERVE AS A RESOURCE OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE AND WORK TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS. OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE POPULATION MONITORING, SEED COLLECTION, GENETIC INVESTIGATIONS FOR CONSERVATION OR TAXONOMIC CLARIFICATION, HABITAT RESTORATION, URBAN TREE ASSESSMENTS AND COMMUNITY SCIENCE. THE GARDENS DOCUMENTS PLANT AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY WITH A FOCUS ON THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION THROUGH OUR COLLECTING EFFORTS. THE KATHRYN KALMBACH VASCULAR PLANT HERBARIUM HOUSES MORE THAN 80,000 SPECIMENS WHILE THE SAM MITCHEL HERBARIUM OF FUNGI HOUSES OVER 20,000 WELL-CURATED SPECIMENS FROM THE REGION. WE ACCESSIONED OUR 100,000TH SPECIMEN IN 2024, AND CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR COLLECTIONS THROUGH TARGETED GROWTH. THE GARDENS TRAINS THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS THROUGH GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRAMS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT DENVER. OUR EXPANDED RESTORATION STUDIES EXAMINING SEED MIXES AND INFLUENCE OF A WARMING CLIMATE ON PLANT SUCCESS THROUGH COMMON GARDEN STUDIES CONTINUE WITH TWO ACTIVE FIELD SITES. WE LAUNCHED A NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. IN ADDITION, WE ANALYZED GENETIC DATA ON PLANTS FROM MULTIPLE SOURCE LOCATIONS GROWING IN OUR COMMON GARDEN IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INFLUENCE OF GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT ON SUCCESS OF RESTORATION PROJECTS.THE GARDENS' CENTER FOR GLOBAL INITIATIVES IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GARDENS' WORK AROUND THE GLOBE. WE CONTINUED OUR COLLABORATION WITH INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TECNOLOGIA AGROPECUARIA (INTA), ARGENTINA IN 2025. THIS COLLABORATION WAS DEVELOPED TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND CAPACITY ON PROPAGATION AND RESEARCH OF NATIVE FLORA OF BOTH ARGENTINA, PATAGONIA IN PARTICULAR, AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND PLAINS REGIONS OF COLORADO. IN 2025 THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL INITIATIVES ALSO STEWARDS THE EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES, AND COLLABORATION OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, INSTITUTES OF BOTANY THROUGHOUT CENTRAL ASIA AND MONGOLIA. THE GARDENS' CENTER FOR GLOBAL INITIATIVES CONDUCTED MULTIPLE PLANT EXPLORATION AND COLLECTING TRIPS THROUGH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS IN KAZAKHSTAN, ARGENTINA AND MONGOLIA.

  Expenses $6,800,326

• THE MISSION OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS CHATFIELD FARMS IS TO INSPIRE THE PUBLIC TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT BY CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. CHATFIELD FARMS IS A 700-ACRE NATIVE PLANT REFUGE AND WORKING FARM LOCATED ALONG THE BANKS OF DEER CREEK IN SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. CONSTRUCTION FOR PHASE 1 OF THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND THE 4.5-ACRE SOLAR FARM WAS COMPLETED IN 2025. EIGHTEEN MILLION DOLLARS IN IMPROVEMENTS WERE ADDED, INCLUDING THE ROBERT AND JUDI NEWMAN WELCOME CENTER AND THE BORGEN FAMILY MARKET SQUARE. ATTENDANCE FOR DAILY VISITATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS WAS UP 30,000 PEOPLE TO 233,300. THE LAVENDER FESTIVAL HOSTED 9,500 ATTENDEES OVER TWO DAYS. THE CORN MAZE WELCOMED 60,680 VISITORS DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. THE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL HOSTED MORE THAN 38,000 ATTENDEES, WITH 34,000 PUMPKINS PURCHASED BY VISITORS. TRAIL OF LIGHTS ATTENDANCE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY TO 47,380. PRIVATE EVENTS HOSTED 126 EVENTS, GENERATING $622,450 IN REVENUE. THE HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT ADDED 5,000 NEW ACCESSIONS TO THE PLANT COLLECTIONS WHILE ALSO DESIGNING AND INSTALLING NEW GARDENS FOR PHASE 1. MORE THAN AN ACRE OF NEW GARDENS, INCLUDING A NEW CREVICE GARDEN, XERIC GARDENS, AND 150 NEW TREES WERE PLANTED. THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) PROGRAM PRODUCED OVER 62,616 POUNDS OF VEGETABLES FOR 360 CSA SHAREHOLDERS. THE SOLAR GARDEN, SUPPORTED BY THE DENVER CLIMATE ACTION OFFICE, PRODUCED 1,273 POUNDS OF VEGETABLES DONATED TO FAMILIES IN NEED. THE CUT-FLOWER PROGRAM EXPANDED TO SUPPORT FIVE LARGE WEDDINGS, HARVESTED 25,000 STEMS FOR 840 CSA BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTIONS, SUPPORTED SIX CORPORATE EVENTS, AND LAUNCHED NEW SALES IN THE WELCOME CENTER.

  Expenses $4,709,229 · Revenue $3,047,394

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS ENDOWMENT INC

  501(C)(3) · SUPPORT DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS · CO · controlled entity

  Directly controlled by DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

• PLANT SELECT CSU

  501(C)(3) · EDUCATION & RESEARCH · CO

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

3 August 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.2

Source object

202642169349300319

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