Civic Garden Center

What Civic Garden Center does

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is an Ohio-incorporated nonprofit founded in 1942 that operates from the historic Hauck Botanic Garden (a 100-year-old urban arboretum at 2715 Reading Road in Cincinnati's Walnut Hills neighborhood). Its mission is building community through gardening, education, and environmental stewardship, delivered through a portfolio of programming that includes year-round gardening and sustainability classes, the HUB Garden mobile program bringing free classes to 10+ community garden partner sites across greater Cincinnati, youth education from ages 3 through high school (Lil' Sprouts, Summer Sprouts Camp, Green Teens Challenge), volunteer workdays, the ReRooted native plant propagation program producing 80+ species annually, and community herbarium and compost demonstration programming. Annual fundraising events include the GrowFest Plant Sale, Fall Native Plant Festival, and a multi-month Volunteer-A-Thon.

The organization earns revenue through a diversified nonprofit model: individual and institutional donations, non-refundable annual membership fees, class and workshop registration fees ranging from free to $50 per person (with volunteer discounts of 15-25%), facility and event rentals at $200-$300 per hour across an auditorium (1,125 sq ft), patio/pergola, and garden spaces, plant sale proceeds, and a Garden Helpers matching service. Distribution runs through the Hauck Botanic Garden headquarters, a network of community garden partner sites, the Network for Good online platform for registrations and donations, a bi-monthly e-newsletter, and earned media. It is led by Executive Director Karen Kahle and supported by a board of directors under an independent nonprofit governance structure with no parent company, holding entity, or institutional investment disclosed. The organization is actively operating with no reported restructuring or leadership transitions in the period covered by the data.

Name

Civic Garden Center

Legal name

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati

Website

https://civicgardencenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Civic Garden Center is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit, founded in 1942 and operating from the historic Hauck Botanic Garden, that delivers gardening education, youth programming, and community garden support across greater Cincinnati through classes, volunteer workdays, and annual plant festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Horticulture and Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Landscaping Services (56173)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAFAB

Community Center Education Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAL

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAAAFAC

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Community gardening education
• Urban agriculture programs
• Environmental stewardship services
• Horticultural youth education
• Community garden network

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati, Ohio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Primary funding source through direct financial gifts from individuals, foundations, and organizations. Accepts both monetary donations and supplies.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership program (non-refundable fees) providing ongoing support and engagement with the organization.
3. Class and Event Fees: Registration fees for classes ranging from free to $50 per person. Volunteer discounts available (15-25% off). Revenue from workshops including Build Your Own Terrarium, Companion Planting, and GrowFest classes.
4. Event Rentals: Facility rental revenue from hosting meetings, birthday parties, workshops, reunions, graduation parties, baby/wedding showers, lectures, receptions, and corporate retreats. Fees: $200/hour before 5pm, $300/hour after 5pm.
5. Garden Helpers Service: Connecting service fee where users make a donation to submit garden help requests. CGC serves as a connector between those seeking and offering garden assistance.
6. Plant Sales: Annual plant sale events including GrowFest Plant Sale and Fall Native Plant Festival featuring native plants and garden-related merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is a nonprofit community garden center that delivers hands-on horticultural and environmental education, youth programs, volunteer-led community garden support, and event-hosting services anchored at the historic Hauck Botanic Garden. Core offerings include fee-based and free classes, the mobile HUB Garden program, Summer Sprouts day camp, facility rentals, native plant propagation (ReRooted), plant sales, and a community herbarium.

Product overview

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati operates as a nonprofit community garden center offering a unified portfolio of educational, horticultural, and community-building services centered at Hauck Botanic Garden. The core offerings include hands-on gardening classes and workshops, the HUB Garden mobile education program bringing free programming to community gardens, and Summer Sprouts youth camp. The organization facilitates volunteer engagement through recurring workdays and the annual Volunteer-A-Thon, while its ReRooted program propagates native plants for distribution. Major annual events include GrowFest and the Fall Native Plant Festival. Facility rentals provide event space, while Garden Helpers offers a matching service for garden assistance needs. The organization also maintains a community herbarium, offers guided tours, and hosts the Green Teens Challenge and Lil' Sprouts family program. All offerings interconnect around the mission of building community through gardening, education, and environmental stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Classes and Educational Programs Year-round educational programming covering gardening, sustainability, cooking, and environmental topics offered to the general public through a mix of free and paid classes.
• HUB Garden Program Mobile education program bringing free gardening classes and cooking demonstrations to community gardens throughout the greater Cincinnati area during the growing season, serving 10+ partner sites.
• Summer Sprouts Camp Week-long immersive day camp for children in 2nd through 5th grade held at Hauck Botanic Garden, featuring gardening, cooking, nature exploration, and eco-friendly crafts.
• Facility and Event Rentals Rental of Civic Garden Center spaces including the auditorium (1,125 sq ft), patio/pergola, and gardens for meetings, parties, workshops, receptions, and corporate retreats at $200/hour before 5pm and $300/hour after 5pm.
• GrowFest Plant Sale Major annual plant sale fundraiser featuring a wide selection of plants, classes, and community activities.
• Fall Native Plant Festival Annual native plant festival held in September featuring native plants available for purchase and distribution to the community garden network.
• Garden Helpers Matching service connecting community members who need garden assistance with volunteer helpers; CGC facilitates connections for watering, maintenance, and project help in exchange for a donation.
• Hauck Botanic Garden ArbNet Level 1 Accredited public arboretum and historic 100-year-old public park serving as an outdoor classroom, featuring themed gardens, food forest, and seven composting systems. Open daily dawn to dusk.
• Lil' Sprouts Free drop-in series for children ages 3 to 8 and their caregivers held on second and fourth Mondays, featuring seasonally relevant nature activities.
• Green Teens Challenge High school program challenging participants to complete environmental projects with entry judging and recognition.
• Guided Tours (Hauck Arboretum and Compost Tours) Regular free tours including Hauck Arboretum Tours and CGC Compost Tours showcasing different composting methods and botanical collections.
• ReRooted Program (Native Plant Propagation) Native plant propagation program growing 80 different species of native plants for the organization's community garden network and plant festivals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ species of native plants grown annually through ReRooted program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central State University ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Carter Spires (ANR Extension Educator, Southern Region) as instructor for Basic Organic Vegetable Gardening: Plant Disease & Integrated Pest Management class. Partnership provides agricultural education expertise from land-grant university extension program.
• Cincinnati MetrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transportation partner providing bus service via Route 43 that stops within a five-minute walk from the CGC headquarters. Enables access for public transit users to attend programs and events.
• Cincinnati ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpon Cornelius Hauck's death in 1967, he willed the remainder of his estate to Cincinnati Parks. The park system maintains the public portions of Hauck Botanic Garden while CGC maintains the educational gardens. Collaborative relationship spanning decades.
• Community Garden NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership network including Northgate Community Garden, Mt. Airy Commons Community Garden, Loveland Presbyterian Church Community Garden, Camp Washington Community Garden, West End Community Garden, Spring Grove Village Community Garden, Melrose Medicinal Garden, Daryl Gordon Community Garden, South Cumminsville Community Garden, and others. CGC provides educational programming, plants, and volunteer support.
• Network for GoodcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party technology platform provider for event registration, volunteer sign-ups, and donation processing. Used for GrowFest, Volunteer-A-Thon, class registrations, and general donations.
• ArbNetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational arboretum accreditation organization that conferred Level 1 Accredited Arboretum status on Hauck Botanic Garden.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Morton Arboretum: Large nonprofit arboretum with formal accreditation, extensive tree collections, and community education programming. Comparable in operating a publicly accessible accredited arboretum with volunteer and education programs.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Larger nonprofit botanic garden operating with a broad portfolio of education, research, and community programs. Comparable core activity set (classes, youth programs, native plant work, event rentals) but at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Nonprofit botanic garden offering community education, youth programs, and horticultural classes on a historic urban site. Highly comparable as a community-anchored nonprofit garden center with education, volunteer, and event-revenue streams similar to CGC's mix.
• Cincinnati Parks: Public partner that maintains the public portions of Hauck Botanic Garden pursuant to the 1967 Hauck bequest. Directly comparable as the co-operator of CGC's flagship site and a community-facing parks/recreation service in the same geography.
• Pittsburgh Botanic Garden: Regional nonprofit botanic garden focused on education, native plants, and community programming in a peer Rust Belt metro. Comparable mission, scale, and earned-income mix (admissions, classes, events, memberships) to CGC.
• Holden Forests & Gardens: Northeast Ohio nonprofit operating arboreta and gardens with public education, youth programs, and community engagement. Comparable Midwest/Rust-Belt nonprofit garden model with similar earned-income mix.
• Civic Garden Center of Kansas City: Peer community garden center nonprofit serving the Kansas City metro with horticulture education, community gardens, and youth programs. Highly comparable mission and operating model to CGC of Greater Cincinnati.
• Keep Cincinnati Beautiful: Local nonprofit focused on community beautification, greening, and environmental stewardship in the same Cincinnati geography. Comparable nonprofit structure, volunteer-driven model, and donor-base dynamics.

Others

• American Community Gardening Association: National nonprofit membership organization supporting community gardens across the U.S. Comparable mission alignment with CGC's community-garden network and provides adjacent infrastructure/knowledge ecosystem.

Regional players

• Green Umbrella: Cincinnati-area environmental coalition advancing sustainability, food systems, and nature-based solutions across the region. Comparable regional mission scope and overlapping programmatic themes (urban agriculture, environmental education).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civic-garden-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Civic Garden Center