UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

What UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley does

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is a 34-acre living museum and public university botanical garden operated under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Berkeley, formally established in 1890 and relocated to its Strawberry Canyon site between 1925 and 1928. The Garden maintains over 10,000 plant species across nine geographic regions (Asia, Australasia, California, Eastern North America, Mediterranean, Mexico/Central America, Deserts of the Americas, South America, Southern Africa), including 1,214 rare and endangered species, and holds four North American Plant Collections Network accreditations for its cycads, ferns, magnolias, and oaks. Each plant is catalogued with accession numbers, family names, scientific names, place of origin, and common names, supporting both research access and public education.

The Garden operates a diversified non-profit revenue model spanning seven streams: visitor admissions ($3–$18 tiered), membership subscriptions ($15–$1,000 across nine tiers), plant nursery and gift shop retail, private event rentals (Mather Redwood Grove, Julia Morgan Hall), the Redwood Grove Summer Concert Series, educational programs (docent-led adult and K-12 tours, classes, workshops, summer camp, virtual tours), and donations/grants/endowments. It serves multiple customer segments including the general public (100,000 annual visitors), the UC Berkeley community, K-12 schools, international scientific researchers, members, and private event clients. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer and physical, with no online product delivery for the core experience.

The Garden's institutional moat rests on its irreplaceable plant collection and conservation partnerships: it has been a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Plant Rescue Center since 1982 (housing 500+ seized cycads), a Center for Plant Conservation member since 1987, and maintains reciprocal membership agreements with 380+ gardens (American Horticultural Society) and 1,000+ museums (NARM/ROAM). Recent strategic activity includes a 2026 BAMPFA partnership on the Maren Hassinger sculpture, the 13th season of summer concerts, and publication of a Strategic Plan 2030. The Garden is staffed by 11–50 employees and is governed as a state-funded public university asset rather than an independent venture-backed entity.

Name

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Legal name

University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley

Website

https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley is a 34-acre public university living museum with 10,000+ plant species, serving 100,000 annual visitors through admissions, memberships, educational programs, retail, event rentals, concerts, and conservation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Botanical Garden

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Public botanical garden
• Plant conservation programs
• Educational garden tours
• Living plant collections
• Museum admission services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Visitor Admissions: Charges admission fees for general public visitors, with tiered pricing for adults, seniors, students, and youth. Members receive free admission.
2. Membership Program: Annual and multi-year memberships at multiple tiers (Individual, Family, Family Plus, Patron, Director's Circle, UCB Student, UCB Individual, UCB Family) providing free admission and exclusive benefits.
3. Plant Nursery and Garden Shop Sales: Retail sales of plants, books, garden-related gifts, and UCBG logo merchandise. Operating daily plant sales with seasonal pop-up sales.
4. Private Event Rentals: Venue rental for weddings, celebrations, meetings, and memorials at Mather Redwood Grove and Julia Morgan Hall.
5. Concert Series and Events: Ticketed summer concert series held in the Redwood Grove amphitheater featuring various musical artists.
6. Donations and Grants: Annual fund donations, tribute gifts, planned bequests, and endowments supporting the Garden's conservation and educational mission.
7. Educational Programs: Fees for classes, workshops, guided tours, and educational programming for adults, youth, and families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley operates a 34-acre living museum featuring over 10,000 documented plant species across nine geographic regions, offering daily public admissions, tiered annual memberships, an on-site plant nursery and garden shop, private event venue rentals, docent-led educational tours, classes and workshops, a summer concert series, and conservation services including seed banking and plant rescue. The Garden also provides scientific research access to its wild-provenance plant collections for affiliated universities and research institutions worldwide.

Product overview

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley operates as a 34-acre living museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on its diverse plant collections (over 10,000 species from six continents) and conservation mission. The core product is garden admission, supplemented by membership programs (Individual, Family, Family Plus, Patron, Director's Circle tiers), a Plant Nursery and Garden Shop for retail, and Private Event Rentals (Redwood Grove Amphitheater and Julia Morgan Hall). Educational offerings include docent-led tours (Adult, PreK-12 Youth, Self-Guided Groups), Classes and Workshops, and Virtual Plant Tours. The Garden also provides Research Services and Conservation Services (seed banking, plant rescue) as institutional offerings. The Redwood Grove Summer Concerts and special exhibitions (e.g., Maren Hassinger Sculpture) provide seasonal programming. The Plant Database serves as an online reference tool. Together, these products position the Garden as a combined entertainment, education, and conservation institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Admission Daily admission to the 34-acre botanical garden featuring over 10,000 plant species across nine geographic regions, including rare and endangered species. Tiered pricing for adults ($18), seniors ($12), youth ages 5-17 ($8), and free for children under 4.
• Garden Membership Program Annual and multi-year memberships at multiple tiers (Individual $75, Family $95, Family Plus $160, Patron $500, Director's Circle $1,000, UCB Student $15, UCB Individual $60, UCB Family $80) providing free admission, guest passes, exclusive events, reciprocal privileges at 380+ gardens and 1,000+ museums, and discounts on classes and retail purchases.
• Plant Nursery Year-round plant sales featuring unusual specimens not typically found in local nurseries, including California natives, carnivorous plants, cacti, succulents, trees, shrubs, perennials, and houseplants, with seasonal pop-up sales. Members receive a 10% discount.
• Garden Shop Botanical-themed gifts, branded UCBG merchandise, books, and plants available on-site at the Garden Shop, open 10:30 am-4:30 pm, closed Tuesdays.
• Private Event Rentals Venue rentals including Mather Redwood Grove and Amphitheater for ceremonies and the historic Julia Morgan Hall for receptions, celebrations, meetings, and memorials.
• Adult Docent-Led Tours Guided one-hour tours of the Garden's plant collections from six continents, featuring seasonal highlights and expert docent guides (one docent per 10 people), priced at $20 per person with a $100 minimum.
• PreK-12 Youth Tours Educational guided tours aligned with California State Next Generation Science Standards, divided into small groups with volunteer docents, including sensory walks, plant discovery, pollination, and evolution topics.
• Conservation Services Plant rescue and refuge programs including seed banking of California native species (backed up at the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado), pollen banking for cycads, frozen leaf tissue banking, herbarium documentation, and partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Plant Rescue Center network.
• Research Services Scientific research facilitation providing plant materials for affiliated university and research institution projects worldwide, including seed exchange programs and limited greenhouse/in-ground research facilities for UC Berkeley researchers, leveraging the Garden's wild-provenance plant collections.
• Redwood Grove Summer Concerts Annual outdoor concert series (13th season in 2026) featuring live music performances in the Redwood Grove amphitheater from June through September, with ticket prices ranging from $30-$90 depending on the event.
• Classes and Workshops Educational programs for adults and families including botanical illustration, Taiji and Qigong, butterfly walks, sick plant clinics, and seasonal workshops offered both online and in-person.
• Green Stuff Summer Camp Summer day camp programs for children providing hands-on botanical education and garden activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 plants are now rare or extinct in natural habitats and preserved in the Garden
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• Center for Plant Conservation (CPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Member since 1987; network of 75+ botanical gardens dedicated to preventing plant extinction in the United States through conservation seed banking and species restoration.
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982Member of the Plant Rescue Center network since 1982, receiving hundreds of illegally traded plants entrusted to the Garden's care, including over 500 cycads.
• Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the creation and presentation of 'Monument' (Pyramid) by Maren Hassinger, part of the exhibition 'Maren Hassinger: Living Moving Growing.' The ten-foot-tall sculpture built from fallen branches from the Garden's Mather Redwood Grove is located on the Oak Knoll.
• California Department of Fish & WildlifemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in conservation seed banking and restoring plants in habitat within California.
• Bureau of Land ManagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in conservation efforts for California native flora restoration in public lands.
• California State ParksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in plant conservation and habitat restoration efforts.
• California Native Plant SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in conservation of California's native plant species.
• California Plant RescuemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization dedicated to preventing extinction of California plants.
• American Public Gardens Association / USDA Agricultural Research ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour Garden collections (cycads, ferns, magnolias, oaks) accredited by the Plant Collections Network, a program of the American Public Gardens Association and USDA ARS.
• Botanic Gardens Conservation InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData from cycads, magnolias, and oaks collections incorporated into BGCI consortia for global plant conservation.
• Lawrence Hall of ScienceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOverflow parking shuttle runs on certain busy days between the Garden and Lawrence Hall of Science parking lot when the Garden lot is full.
• National Laboratory for Genetic Resources PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal facility in Fort Collins, Colorado that serves as backup storage for the Garden's conservation seed bank of California native species.
• American Horticultural SocietymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReciprocal privileges at over 380 gardens, arboreta, and conservatories throughout North America and the Cayman Islands for Garden members.
• NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association) and ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily Plus, Patron, and Director's Circle members receive free admission and benefits at over 1,000 participating US and Canadian museums.
• Bay Nature MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecial discount offer for Garden members ($15 off a 1-year $40 Bay Nature membership) with exclusive benefits including free hikes and talks.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Desert Botanical Garden: Phoenix-based public garden focused on desert plant conservation, education, and exhibitions. Comparable as a specialized botanical garden with membership model, conservation programming, and event-based revenue.
• New York Botanical Garden: The largest botanical garden in the United States, operating a 250-acre living museum with extensive research, conservation, and education programs. Most direct comparable to UCBG in mission, scale of plant collections, and membership/conservation programming model.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest botanical gardens in the U.S. (founded 1859), with strong research and conservation programs, a Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, and broad educational programming. Comparable to UCBG in scientific mission and public garden operations.
• Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: California-based institution combining botanical gardens with research and cultural programming. Comparable in combining living plant collections with research, exhibitions, and educational outreach, and competes with UCBG for Bay Area/California visitors and donors.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: 385-acre public garden with major conservation, education, and research programs including the Soil Testing Lab and Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank. Highly comparable in combining public garden experience with institutional research and seed banking missions.
• San Francisco Botanical Garden: Adjacent Bay Area botanical garden operating in Golden Gate Park with 8,000+ plant species, conservation programs, and educational offerings. Most direct regional peer, competing for Bay Area visitors, members, and educational group business.
• Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University: University-affiliated arboretum (Harvard) with a documented living collection used for research and education, similar to UCBG's university natural history museum role. Comparable in academic-research integration and wild-provenance plant collections.
• United States Botanic Garden: Public botanical garden in Washington D.C. operated by a government entity (Congressional charter), focused on plant conservation, education, and public display. Comparable as a public-sector botanical garden with conservation mission and visitor programming.
• Longwood Gardens: Major U.S. public garden with extensive event programming (concerts, fountains, illuminated displays), high visitor volumes, and a strong membership model. Comparable in monetizing events and ticketed experiences alongside the core garden experience.
• California Botanic Garden (Rancho Santa Ana): California-based botanic garden specializing in California native plants, with active conservation, research, and education programs. Highly comparable to UCBG's California native species focus and seed banking mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucbgarden
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCF98cbGwSFOMZze92M1ZDTw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ucbotanicalgarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-botanical-garden/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucbgarden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley