National Tropical Botanical Garden

What National Tropical Botanical Garden does

National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1963 and headquartered in Kalaheo on the island of Kaua'i, Hawai'i. The organization operates five botanical gardens and preserves — Limahuli Garden & Preserve, Kahanu Garden & Preserve, Allerton Garden, and McBryde Garden on Kaua'i and Maui, plus The Kampong in Miami, Florida — and employs approximately 47 staff. NTBG's mission centers on biocultural conservation of tropical plants through a methodology that integrates Indigenous Hawaiian knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research. Core operational capabilities include a Living Collections Management System (each plant traced to origin with herbarium vouchers and conservation status), a Seed Bank and newly-launched Pollen Banking program (one of the few worldwide), a DNA Tissue Bank, a micropropagation laboratory, an herbarium of pressed specimens, and the Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center. Specialized programs include the Breadfruit Institute (food security and reforestation), drone-based cliff-side plant collection in partnership with Outreach Robotics, and the International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB) at The Kampong, jointly operated with Florida International University.

NTBG serves five distinct customer segments: scientific researchers (botanists, conservation scientists, academic institutions), the general public (96,047 garden visitors in 2023), journalists (the Environmental Journalism Program, in its 18th year), students and educators (2,000+ annually through field trips and the 'Ike Māla program), and conservation partners and communities (government agencies, other botanical gardens, food-security collaborators). Revenue is generated through a diversified mix: garden tour fees, an annual membership program with recurring subscriptions, tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, fees for educational and journalism programs, and likely government and foundation grants. Pricing for tours and memberships is published on the website but specific figures are not disclosed. NTBG holds the highest-tier accreditations from ArbNet (Level IV) and BGCI (Advanced Conservation Practitioner), a GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency, and a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Gordon Deane, with Janet Mayfield serving as President and CEO.

Name

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Legal name

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Website

https://ntbg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Tropical Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1963 that operates five botanical gardens in Hawaii and Florida, conducting biocultural conservation of tropical plants through research collections, seed and pollen banking, micropropagation, and educational programs for scientists, visitors, students, and journalists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Gardens and Tropical Plant Conservation

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Nursery and Tree Production (111421)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Native Species & Restoration Plant Nurseries (AFAMADAF), Horticulture, Nursery & Greenhouse Operations (EDAOAOAB)

Keywords

• Tropical plant conservation
• Botanical garden tours
• Biocultural conservation
• Seed bank services
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaua'i

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Garden Tours: Public tours of NTBG's five botanical gardens offered for visitor experiences and education.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership program offering benefits to supporters of the botanical garden organization.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting conservation and education missions. NTBG is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with Federal Tax ID 52-6057064.
4. Educational Programs: Revenue from Environmental Journalism programs, educational courses, and training programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

National Tropical Botanical Garden operates five tropical botanical gardens and preserves across Hawai'i and Florida, providing public garden tours, memberships, and educational programs while conducting scientific plant conservation research through its Living Collections, Herbarium, Seed Bank, DNA Tissue Bank, micropropagation laboratory, and the Breadfruit Institute. The organization integrates Indigenous knowledge with scientific research (biocultural conservation) to preserve rare tropical plants and Hawaiian cultural heritage.

Product overview

NTBG operates as a network of five botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida, functioning as both visitor destinations and research institutions. The core offerings include the five gardens (Allerton Garden, Kahanu Garden & Preserve, Limahuli Garden & Preserve, McBryde Garden, and The Kampong), which serve as living collections open to visitors. Supporting the gardens are specialized research divisions: the Breadfruit Institute (dedicated to breadfruit conservation), the Living Collections and Horticulture Program, Herbarium, Seed Bank, DNA Tissue Bank, and the Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center housing scientific collections. Educational programs include the Environmental Journalism Program and the International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB) at The Kampong in collaboration with Florida International University. Online research tools include the Tropical Plant Database and Herbarium Search.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center: Facility housing herbarium and library collections for scientific and education purposes
• International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB)

Products and services

• Allerton Garden

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced over 20,000 plants per year in Conservation Nursery
• +5 more outcomes

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Department of Land and Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2021Collaborated with Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources on IUCN Red List assessments and location of previously unknown populations of endangered native Hawaiian plants.
• Department of Fish and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2021Collaborated with U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife on IUCN Red List assessments for Hawaiian endemic plants.
• State of Hawaii's Plant Extinction Prevention ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2021Collaborated on IUCN Red List assessments and efforts to locate at least nine previously unknown populations of endangered native Hawaiian plants in Kauai's remote environments.
• Outreach RoboticscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Outreach Robotics to utilize the Mamba drone technology for accessing precipitous sea cliffs and remote terrain to collect and monitor critically endangered plants such as pua'ala (Brighamia rockii) on Moloka'i. This technology enables conservation work in environments inaccessible by conventional means.
• International Palm SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport for preservation of rare loulu palm (Pritchardia woodii) found only in remote valleys of East Maui. Partnership supports outplanting efforts at Kahanu Garden with over 40 specimens now growing.
• Lyon ArboretumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lyon Arboretum for the conservation of rare loulu palm (Pritchardia woodii), combining expertise and resources for palm preservation efforts.
• International Center for Tropical Botany (ICTB) at The KampongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between NTBG and Florida International University (FIU) establishing the ICTB at The Kampong, building on decades-long history of tropical plant collection and research at the home of botanist David Fairchild. The center has officially opened and represents a major academic partnership.
• American Public Gardens Association (APGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through APGA with other botanical gardens and arboreta for knowledge sharing and best practices in plant collections management.
• Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through BGCI with botanical gardens worldwide for conservation knowledge sharing and international plant conservation initiatives.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden: Smaller botanical garden located on the Big Island of Hawaii with a similar tropical plant collection and visitor-tour model. Comparable in geographic and ecosystem focus though narrower in scientific mission.
• Lyon Arboretum (University of Hawaii): University-operated tropical garden and research facility in Hawaii; also an active NTBG partner on loulu palm conservation. Comparable in tropical-research focus and Hawaiian ecosystem scope.

Direct peers

• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest U.S. botanical gardens with a similarly strong research and plant conservation mission, herbarium, seed bank, and international tropical research programs (e.g., in Madagascar and Peru). Directly comparable in mission and operating model.
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: Direct peer in the same metropolitan area (Miami) operating a tropical botanical garden with conservation, research, and education programs. Highly comparable as a tropical plant conservation institution with strong public-garden programming and similar USDA-driven mission.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Large U.S. botanical garden with active plant conservation, seed bank, and habitat restoration programs. Comparable nonprofit structure with broad public-garden operations.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden with significant tropical plant research, conservation programs, and a comparable nonprofit operating model. Similar in scale and scientific publication output.
• New York Botanical Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden with herbarium, living collections, and significant plant science research output. Comparable in scientific-publishing output, accreditation tier, and nonprofit operating structure.
• Singapore Botanic Gardens: UNESCO World Heritage tropical botanical garden with similar tropical plant conservation, research, and public-garden functions. Closest international analog in scope and tropical focus.
• California Botanic Garden (CalBG): California's largest native plant garden with strong conservation and biodiversity programs; operates a similar accredited botanical garden nonprofit model with seed banking and rare species work.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: The world's largest and oldest botanical garden with seed bank (Millennium Seed Bank), extensive herbarium, and global conservation programs. Comparable in mission; substantially larger in scale and budget.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ntbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/saveplants
• Instagraminstagram.com/ntbg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-tropical-botanical-garden

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 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 National Tropical Botanical Garden