What Denver Botanic Gardens does

Denver Botanic Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit botanical institution founded in 1951 (operating continuously since a 1960 merger with the Colorado Forestry and Horticulture Association) and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates a network of physical sites anchored by a ~23-acre urban campus at York Street (1007 York Street) and a 700-acre working farm and historical homestead, Chatfield Farms, in Littleton, supplemented by the Plains Conservation Center and the Mount Goliath alpine preserve on Mount Blue Sky. The Gardens serves individual visitors, members and donors, schools and educators, private event hosts, scientific researchers, and community members through paid admissions, memberships, educational programs, venue rentals, retail, and a Community Supported Agriculture program.

Its core "products" are living plant collections, scientific natural-history collections, and educational/experiential programming. Living collections include a ~1,000-species orchid collection, tropical waterlily and Victoria water-platter aquatic displays, and the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. Scientific collections include the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants (~70,000 specimens, 70 years old, integrated with SEINet) and the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi (~20,000 specimens, integrated with MyCoPortal), plus an arthropod collection and a Plant Tissue Biobank. Educational assets include the Helen Fowler Library (~25,000 titles), the School of Botanical Art & Illustration (operating 40+ years; awarded a Royal Horticultural Society Group Gold Medal in 2017), and certificate programs such as the Rocky Mountain Gardening Full Series.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: recurring memberships and CSA subscriptions, one-time admissions and event/concert tickets, private venue rentals (UMB Amphitheater capacity ~1,200), fee-based classes and certificates, retail through The Shop at the Gardens (physical and BigCommerce storefront), farm stand sales, and tax-deductible donations plus institutional grants (SCFD, NSF). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by the annual Summer Concert Series (presented by UMB Bank, produced with Swallow Hill Music, ~15+ shows per season), the Lavender Festival, Big Day of Bugs, and the City Nature Challenge. The Gardens is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by CEO Donna McGinnis (announced November 2025), and employs 251–500 staff.

Name

Denver Botanic Gardens

Legal name

Denver Botanic Gardens

Website

https://botanicgardens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Denver Botanic Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a ~23-acre urban campus in Denver and a 700-acre farm in Littleton, Colorado. It serves visitors, members, students, researchers, and event clients through living plant collections, a ~90,000-specimen herbarium system, education and certificate programs, retail, and a CSA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Gardens & Horticultural Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

Keywords

• Botanical garden operations
• Horticultural education programs
• Plant conservation science
• Community science programs
• Event venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Annual and multi-year memberships providing unlimited garden access, member-only events, discounts at the shop and café, and other member benefits. Membership is sold directly through the Gardens' website and ticketing platform (Ticketure).
2. Admission & Event Tickets: General admission tickets to York Street and Chatfield Farms locations, as well as tickets for concerts, special exhibitions, and other ticketed events including the Summer Concert Series.
3. Private Event & Venue Rentals: Revenue from hosting weddings, receptions, corporate meetings, parties, and other private events across multiple venues including the UMB Amphitheater (capacity up to 1,200), Chatfield Farms, and other rental spaces.
4. Educational Programs & Certificates: Revenue from fee-based classes, workshops, certificate programs (e.g., Rocky Mountain Gardening Full Series Certificate), school field trips, tours, and specialized programs for children, families, and adults.
5. Retail Sales: Sales through The Shop at the Gardens (Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center Gift Shop) and an online BigCommerce storefront offering artisan, one-of-a-kind, and eco-friendly products. Also includes farm stand sales at Chatfield Farms and Union Station.
6. Donations & Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate partners, and grant-making organizations. The Gardens is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN #84-0440359).
7. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): CSA program at Chatfield Farms growing more than six acres of vegetables for subscribers, with farm stands selling produce and fresh flower bouquets at the farm and Union Station.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Denver Botanic Gardens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit botanical garden operating two primary campuses (York Street in Denver and Chatfield Farms in Littleton) that offer curated living plant collections, tropical and aquatic conservatories, themed gardens, scientific herbaria (~90,000 specimens), a 25,000-title botanical library, educational certificate and school programs, Community Supported Agriculture, the Plant Select plant-introduction program, private event venue rentals, and an annual Summer Concert Series.

Product overview

Denver Botanic Gardens operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit botanical garden with two primary physical locations: York Street (24-acre main campus in Denver) and Chatfield Farms (700-acre farm/historical homestead in Littleton). The organization offers a diverse portfolio of products and services organized around horticulture, education, research, and community engagement. Core offerings include living plant collections across multiple specialized gardens (Water Gardens, Plant Select Garden, Mordecai Children's Garden), extensive scientific collections (Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants with ~70,000 specimens and Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi with ~20,000 specimens), and educational programming through the Helen Fowler Library (~25,000 titles) and School of Botanical Art & Illustration. The Gardens operates Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at Chatfield Farms, runs seasonal events including the Summer Concert Series and Lavender Festival, and maintains research initiatives through the Research & Conservation Department. Additional offerings include Inside The Gardens quarterly magazine, The Shop at the Gardens retail locations (online and physical), and community science programs like City Nature Challenge. The organization also provides venue rentals including the UMB Amphitheater Tent for private events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Helen Fowler Library: Botanical and horticultural library supporting research and community interests with approximately 25,000 titles.
• Inside the Gardens

Products and services

• York Street Location The main ~23-acre urban campus in Denver featuring themed gardens, the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory, Science Pyramid, and Mordecai Children's Garden; open to the public year-round for admission.
• Chatfield Farms A 700-acre working farm and historical homestead in Littleton, CO featuring agricultural operations, CSA fields, Hildebrand Ranch, cut flower and herb gardens, corn maze, pumpkin patch, and seasonal festivals.
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 participants and 7,800+ observations recorded in the 2026 Front Range City Nature Challenge, with 684 species achieving Research Grade status.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UMB BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUMB Bank is the presenting sponsor of the Summer Concert Series (an annual outdoor music event held June–August at the UMB Amphitheater at York Street), one of the Gardens' marquee public events. The partnership provides significant marketing visibility for UMB and positions the bank as a supporter of arts and culture in Denver. Also referenced in the 2020 Summer magazine as a generous supporter enabling the Gardens' reopening.
• Swallow Hill MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwallow Hill Music serves as the concert director and talent buyer for the Summer Concert Series at Denver Botanic Gardens. The partnership transforms the Gardens into a unique outdoor concert venue each summer, with Swallow Hill handling artist booking, production, and event staffing (~6 Swallow Hill staff per show plus contracted technical crew). Approximately 15 shows per season, with a mix of headliners and opening acts.
• Colorado State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado State University co-developed the Plant Select program with Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado's Green Industry. Plant Select brings water-wise, climate-appropriate plants to the consumer market for the Colorado Front Range steppe environment and High Plains-Intermountain Region, having commercialized more than 175 unique plants. CSU provides horticultural science expertise and research validation.
• Plant SelectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlant Select is a collaborative plant introduction program co-developed by Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University, and Colorado's Green Industry. Plants undergo a rigorous evaluation process for suitability in the High Plains-Intermountain Region. More than 175 unique plants have been commercialized through the program, supporting water-wise gardening and landscaping across the Western U.S.
• Bureau of Land ManagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver Botanic Gardens partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to increase seed stocks of four popular Colorado native species and develop procedures for large-scale seed production. This supports restoration ecology and native plant conservation across public lands.
• High Line Canal ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver Botanic Gardens partnered with the High Line Canal Conservancy on a multi-year tree monitoring project (High Line Canal Tree Project) to study tree response to planting conditions along the 71-mile High Line Canal corridor. Research involves ongoing data collection on tree survival, growth, and performance.
• U.S. Forest Service / Denver Mountain ParksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenver Botanic Gardens co-manages Mount Goliath (Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway, elev. 14,264 ft) in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Denver Mountain Parks. The Gardens supports access, programming, and stewardship of this fragile alpine environment.
• Colorado Pollinator NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado Pollinator Network is a collaborative partner in hosting the Big Day of Bugs, an annual pollinator celebration and the grand finale of Pollinator Month at Denver Botanic Gardens. The event engages 20+ community partner organizations and hundreds of visitors.
• Xerces SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerXerces Society is a community partner in the Big Day of Bugs event at Denver Botanic Gardens, contributing pollinator conservation expertise and programming alongside Audubon Society, Butterfly Pavilion, and other regional organizations.
• Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudubon Society is a community partner in the Big Day of Bugs event, contributing bird conservation and habitat programming to the annual pollinator celebration at the Gardens.
• Butterfly PavilionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerButterfly Pavilion is a community partner in the Big Day of Bugs event, contributing invertebrate and arthropod conservation education to the annual pollinator celebration.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Missouri Botanical Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden operating a similarly diversified revenue model across admissions, memberships, education, and research; also runs a globally significant herbarium. Highly comparable on scientific programming and nonprofit structure.
• Longwood Gardens: Premier U.S. display garden and conservatory operator with concerts, festivals, ticketed exhibitions, and education programming. Closest comparable for performance-style event revenue (Summer Concert Series analog).
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Operates 27 gardens across 385 acres with extensive adult education, certificate programs, and plant introduction (Plant Evaluation Program) — directly comparable scale, programming, and regional-climate adaptation focus.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Major Southeastern U.S. botanical garden with similar membership/event/exhibition mix, plus a comparable conservation research footprint. Useful peer for ticketed exhibitions and tropical conservatory programming.
• New York Botanical Garden: The largest botanical garden in the United States, with comparable living collections, herbarium, education programs, and ticketed exhibition/membership model. Closest scale peer for benchmarking operating, programming, and research intensity.
• Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Combines botanical gardens, library, and art collections under one nonprofit — a structural parallel to Denver Botanic Gardens' blending of gardens, herbarium/library, and exhibitions (e.g., the Jaume Plensa show).
• Cleveland Botanical Garden: Mid-sized U.S. botanical garden combining display gardens with education and community programs; relevant for benchmarking member-supported nonprofit garden operations at a smaller scale than Denver.
• United States Botanic Garden: Federal botanical garden that, like Denver, blends public display with education, conservation, and curated plant collections; comparable for benchmarking public-mission botanical operations and exhibition programming.

Regional players

• Denver Zoo: Fellow Denver nonprofit cultural institution on SCFD funding with comparable membership and family-outreach model; useful peer for understanding local market dynamics, donor overlap, and competitive positioning in Denver leisure.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Global benchmark for scientific herbaria, plant conservation, and horticulture research. Useful as a broad incumbent for understanding scale and funding model potential, though substantially larger than Denver.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DenverBotanicGardens
• Facebookfacebook.com/denverbotanicgardens
• Instagraminstagram.com/denverbotanic
• Xx.com/Botanic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denver-botanic-gardens

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

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 Denver Botanic Gardens