Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy

What Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy does

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit established in 2010 to restore and maintain the 27-acre Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown, Washington, DC. The park was donated to the National Park Service in 1940 by Robert and Mildred Woods Bliss and represents the finest work of Beatrix Farrand, America's first professional female landscape architect and the only female founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. In partnership with the NPS, the Conservancy oversees restoration of a historic landscape that has been recognized as one of the ten greatest garden landscape designs in the United States and serves a metropolitan population of roughly five million people.

The Conservancy's core "product" is park restoration and maintenance, delivered through a portfolio of programs: the Centennial Challenge Campaign for major infrastructure projects (notably a $770,698 stormwater remediation project funded by an NPS matching grant), the Art in the Park artist residency program, the "Leave No Child Inside" environmental education initiative, and seasonal volunteer days. Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible charitable donations and competitive grants; there are no commercial sales, pricing tiers, or subscription products. The organization operates with approximately 10 staff, is governed by a Board of Directors, and is led by Executive Director Jenny Chandler. Its go-to-market is donor and community engagement via social media, email newsletters, community events, and earned press coverage rather than paid commercial distribution.

Name

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy

Legal name

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy

Website

https://dopark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2010 with ~10 staff, that restores and maintains the 27-acre historic Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown, Washington, DC, in partnership with the National Park Service, serving DC-area residents and visitors through restoration, volunteer, and education programs funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic Park Conservation & Restoration

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Historical Sites (71212), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Renovation & Re-Design (Yard Makeovers) (HSAIABAC)

Keywords

• Park restoration services
• Historic landscape preservation
• Environmental education programs
• Volunteer engagement programs
• Nonprofit park conservancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting the park restoration mission.
2. NPS Centennial Challenge Grant: Matching grant from National Park Service for stormwater management projects. Total project value of $770,698 with $385,349 from NPS matched by $385,349 in private fundraising.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy restores and maintains the 27-acre Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown, Washington, DC, in partnership with the National Park Service, bringing Beatrix Farrand's historic landscape back to its original aesthetic splendor while enhancing its modern-day utility. It supplements this core restoration work with an environmental education program for children ('Leave No Child Inside'), an Art in the Park cultural program including artist residencies and exhibitions, and seasonal volunteer engagement days. The Park itself is offered free of charge to the public daily from dawn to dusk.

Product overview

Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy is a charitable nonprofit organization (501(c)3) established in 2010 that operates a single focused mission: restoring and maintaining Dumbarton Oaks Park in Washington, DC in partnership with the National Park Service. The organization offers park restoration and maintenance as its core activity, supplemented by the Centennial Challenge Campaign for major infrastructure projects, the Art in the Park program for cultural programming, the 'Leave No Child Inside' education initiative for youth environmental education, and seasonal volunteer programs. This is not a technology product company—it is a traditional nonprofit focused on landscape preservation rather than software or technology offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Girls Who ClickminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2022Partner for conservation photography workshop for young women held at the park.
• National Park Service (Rock Creek Park)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Primary operational partner managing the park since 1940. The Conservancy works in partnership with NPS to restore and maintain Dumbarton Oaks Park, formerly part of the Dumbarton Oaks estate.
• National Trust for Historic PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in restoration efforts contributing to the preservation of historic landscape architecture.
• Casey TreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in planting days in the park's Upper Stream Valley as part of restoration efforts.
• Montgomery County Conservation CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt-risk-youth program that has participated in restoration work at the park.
• Georgetown Garden ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner contributing to restoration and maintenance efforts.
• The Writer's CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Ferns of Dumbarton art exhibition and If Ferns Could Talk symposium to mark the centennial anniversary of Dumbarton Oaks.
• Sophia McCrocklinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Artist in Residence of the Art in the Park program (2017-2019), created botanical fiber sculptures of fern varieties discovered in the park.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Wave Hill: A 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx, NY, operated as a nonprofit with gardens, environmental education, and arts programming. Closely comparable in scale (similar acreage to Dumbarton Oaks Park) and programming mix (historic designed landscape + education + arts + volunteer engagement).
• Central Park Conservancy: The most direct comparable: a private nonprofit established in 1980 to restore and manage a flagship historic urban park (Central Park) in partnership with the City of New York. Operates the same model (donations + grants + volunteer programming) for a much larger park, and serves as the benchmark for the urban park conservancy structure that Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy follows.
• Friends of the National Zoo: Nonprofit membership organization supporting Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC. Comparable D.C.-based nonprofit partner model that raises private donations to supplement federal/institutional operations for a flagship public attraction, with overlapping donor base and education programming.
• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: National Park Service partner nonprofit supporting park restoration, education, and volunteer programs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Directly comparable in its NPS co-stewardship model, member-based fundraising, and education programming, though at a larger scale.
• The Garden Conservancy: National nonprofit dedicated to preserving exceptional American gardens, including advocacy, restoration, and public access. Highly comparable as a peer focused on historic landscape preservation, with a similar reliance on donations and grants to restore designed gardens of cultural significance.

Broad incumbents

• National Parks Conservation Association: The largest independent national membership organization dedicated solely to advocating for and protecting the National Park System. Operates in the same federal-park ecosystem as Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy but at a national advocacy scale rather than a single-site restoration focus.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on creating and conserving parks and protected land across the U.S. Not a direct competitor but a broader incumbent in the same park-conservation category, with greater geographic reach and more diversified funding sources.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: A nonprofit urban botanic garden offering public access, educational programming, and conservation. Comparable historic designed-landscape nonprofit with broader institutional scope, larger staff, and a more developed earned-revenue model (admissions, memberships).

Regional players

• Rock Creek Conservancy: Local Washington, DC nonprofit solely dedicated to restoring Rock Creek, the park system that includes the National Park Service unit overseeing Dumbarton Oaks Park. Operates the same hybrid model (donations + grants + volunteer days) for an adjacent national park landscape and would be a natural co-funder, partner, or programmatic peer.

Others

• Cultural Landscape Foundation: National nonprofit focused on educating the public about and celebrating the cultural landscapes designed by America's foremost landscape architects — including Beatrix Farrand. Adjacent peer whose mission (advocacy, education, and documentation of designed landscapes) directly overlaps with Dumbarton Oaks Park's heritage and Cultural Landscape Reports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DOaksPark
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DumbartonConservancy
• Facebookfacebook.com/DumbartonOaksParkConservancy
• Instagraminstagram.com/dumbartonoaksparkconservancy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dumbarton-oaks-park-conservancy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy