Red Butte Garden

What Red Butte Garden does

Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is a nonprofit botanical garden located at 300 Wakara Way in Salt Lake City, Utah, legally affiliated with the University of Utah (EIN# 87-6000525). Founded in 1984 following an initial land transfer with seminal involvement from Zeke Dumke Jr., the Garden operates as the State Arboretum of Utah, spanning 100 acres of themed gardens and natural areas containing 3,000 species of plants and trees in a foothills setting. The Garden serves the general public, K-12 students across 41 of Utah's 42 school districts, adult learners, families, private-event clients, and conservation researchers through a portfolio of admissions, memberships, an outdoor amphitheatre concert series, adult and youth education programs, summer camps, a gift shop, private event rentals, and donation-supported conservation research. Its scientific contributions include the 2015–2018 Bonneville cutthroat trout reintroduction with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, native bee sanctuary research documenting 127 species, and the co-published discovery of 10,900-year-old Four Corners Wild Potato evidence in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah and the USDA Potato Gene Bank.

The Garden monetizes through a diversified revenue model combining day admissions, annual memberships, concert ticket sales, fee-based educational classes and workshops, gift shop retail, private event rentals, and philanthropic donations — supported operationally by approximately 30,000 annual volunteer hours. Customer acquisition is event-driven and direct-to-consumer, relying on organic social media, content marketing (What's Blooming Now blog, Garden Journal, quarterly magazine), email newsletters, and on-site ticketing. Its go-to-market emphasizes educational content, conservation messaging, and concert/event promotion, anchored by deep institutional partnerships with the University of Utah, Salt Lake County's ZAP program, Rocky Mountain Power, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and a network of 19 local retail partners offering members 5–50% discounts.

In fiscal year 2025 the Garden hosted 278,000 guests and served 13,595 students, including 7,889 schoolchildren on field trips, while adding 3,608 new plants and distributing 524 Botany Bins to 35,420 students. Operationally the entity is led by Executive Director Derrek Hanson with a full director-level team covering horticulture, conservation, philanthropy, finance, marketing, events, and education. Governance is provided by an Advisory Board (2026 roster chaired by Kym Buttschardt). The organization holds no patents, has no subsidiaries, and operates exclusively from its single Salt Lake City campus serving the Intermountain West region.

Name

Red Butte Garden

Legal name

University of Utah

Website

https://redbuttegarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is a University of Utah-affiliated nonprofit botanical garden in Salt Lake City serving the general public, K-12 students, and researchers through admissions, memberships, concerts, education programs, and conservation research across 100 acres and 3,000 plant species.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Garden Memberships: Annual and recurring memberships providing benefits including free admission, exclusive events, discounts at gift shop and retail partners, and quarterly Red Butte Garden Magazine.
2. Visitor Admissions: Admission fees for general garden visits with tiered pricing for individuals, families, and groups.
3. Concert Series Tickets: Ticket sales for outdoor concert series at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre featuring various musical performers.
4. Educational Programs & Classes: Revenue from educational programming including adult education classes, workshops, summer camps for kids, school programs, and facility rentals for private events.
5. Gift Shop Sales: On-site gift shop offering locally made products and garden-inspired gifts.
6. Donations & Philanthropy: Tax-deductible charitable donations supporting rare plant conservation, science-based programming, and garden access initiatives. EIN# 87-6000525.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Red Butte Garden is a 100-acre botanical garden and State Arboretum of Utah that sells daily visitor admissions, annual memberships, seasonal outdoor concert tickets, and access to themed gardens and natural areas at its Salt Lake City foothills location. It delivers adult education classes and workshops, youth summer camps, K–12 school programs and field trips, private venue rentals, gift shop retail, and conservation research programs. As a University of Utah-affiliated nonprofit, it also raises philanthropic donations to support plant conservation and science-based programming.

Product overview

Red Butte Garden is a botanical garden and arboretum operated by the University of Utah, offering a diverse portfolio of products and services centered around plant conservation, environmental education, and community engagement. The core offerings include: the outdoor concert amphitheatre hosting seasonal music performances; educational programming through adult classes/workshops (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, mindfulness) and youth summer camps; garden membership with partner discounts; the Gift Shop; and school programs serving thousands of students annually. Supporting resources include the What's Blooming Now blog, Garden Journal publication, and Plant Collections database. The garden also provides volunteer opportunities, private event rentals, and donation programs supporting conservation efforts. As Utah's State Arboretum, the 100-acre facility features themed gardens including the Water Conservation Garden demonstrating waterwise landscaping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outdoor Concert Series Seasonal outdoor concert series held in the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre featuring various musical artists and performers, with individual show tickets and season passes sold directly through the Garden's own ticketing platform.
• Classes and Workshops Adult education programming including Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, mindfulness, botanical painting, and gardening/horticulture workshops, offered seasonally and registered through the adult education department.
• Summer Camp Summer day camp programs for children offering nature-based learning and outdoor activities at the Garden, including the Earth Connections Camp, booked through the kids classes department.
• Garden Membership Annual subscription membership tiers providing free garden admission, exclusive member events, a quarterly Red Butte Garden Magazine, and discounts of 5–50% at a network of 19 local retail partners.
• Red Butte Garden Gift Shop On-site gift shop offering locally made products and garden-inspired gifts, with a 10% discount for Garden members.
• Donation Programs Charitable giving programs supporting rare plant conservation, science-based programming, and access to the Garden. Tax-deductible contributions are processed under EIN# 87-6000525.
• School Programs K-12 educational outreach serving thousands of Utah students annually through field trips, the Botany Bins and Boxes lending kit program, and curriculum-aligned lessons delivered across 41 of the state's 42 school districts.
• Private Event Rentals Venue rental services for weddings, corporate functions, and private celebrations at the Garden's event spaces, coordinated through the rentals department and events coordinators.
• Water Conservation Garden Themed demonstration garden showcasing xeriscaping with five hydrozones — Zone 4 (watered 2–3 times/week), Zone 3 (once/week), Zone 2 (every other week), Zone 1 (once/month), and Zone 0/Xeric (no supplemental water after establishment) — accessed as part of general garden admission.
• Visitor Admissions (General Garden Access) Day-pass admission to the Garden's 100 acres of themed gardens and natural areas with 3,000 plant species, available at tiered rates for individuals, families, and groups, sold on-site at 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City.

Quantifiable outcome

• 278,000 total guests visited in fiscal year 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Red Butte Garden is affiliated with the University of Utah as its State Arboretum. The Garden benefits from University resources, transportation services for projects, and administrative support. Legal name is University of Utah with EIN# 87-6000525.
• Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program (ZAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZAP funding has supported Arbor Day celebrations and enabled free admission days. ZAP provides public funding for arts, parks, and zoo programs in Salt Lake County.
• Rocky Mountain PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Rocky Mountain Power on Arbor Day celebrations including tree seedling giveaways and tree plantings at the Garden.
• Utah Division of Wildlife ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative restoration project including pond dredging and release of approximately 200 Bonneville cutthroat trout fingerlings into Garden ponds fed by Red Butte Creek. Project completed 2015-2018 with ongoing conservation education.
• Utah Society for Environmental EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Arbor Day celebrations and environmental education initiatives.
• Tree UtahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Arbor Day celebrations and tree planting initiatives.
• Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State LandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for Arbor Day celebrations and state forestry initiatives.
• Natural History Museum of UtahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with Red Butte Garden Conservation Director Bruce Pavlik and Museum curator Lisbeth Louderback on the 10,900-year-old Four Corners Wild Potato discovery, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
• USDA Potato Gene BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative genetic research on Solanum jamesii for potential breeding applications to develop drought and disease resistant potato crops.
• 19 Local Retail PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 19 local retail partners including nurseries, fitness studios, and specialty retailers offering 5-50% discounts to Red Butte Garden members. Includes Babinski's Baby, The Bar Method, Cactus & Tropicals, Glover Nursery, Gold 'n Diamonds, and others.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chicago Botanic Garden: Major U.S. botanical garden with 27 gardens across 385 acres, extensive education programming, research, and event venue operations. Comparable as a large-scale, membership-driven botanical garden with similar diversified revenue streams including classes and special events.
• United States Botanic Garden: Public botanical garden in Washington, D.C. offering plant collections, educational programming, and conservation research. Direct peer operating a comparable nonprofit botanical garden model with admissions, memberships, and exhibits.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Historic nonprofit botanical garden operating a major plant collection, research program, and broad educational programming. Direct comparable as a mission-driven, donation-supported botanical institution with conservation credentials.
• New York Botanical Garden: Large-scale nonprofit botanical garden with extensive plant collections, research institute, education programs, and event programming. Comparable operating model with memberships, admissions, classes, and conservation research at scale.
• Tucson Botanical Gardens: Mid-sized nonprofit botanical garden in the arid Southwest with comparable xeriscape, native plant, and desert horticulture focus. Direct peer with similar water-conservation demonstration gardens and educational programming in an arid climate context.
• Morton Arboretum: Large nonprofit tree-focused public garden and research institution near Chicago with similar plant-collection focus, education programming, and conservation research operations. Comparable as an arboretum-focused institution with similar programming mix.
• Denver Botanic Gardens: Regional botanical garden with comparable Western U.S. climate focus, arid-land plant collections, xeriscape demonstration, and education programming. Most directly comparable as an Intermountain West/Western peer with similar water-conservation horticulture mission.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Nonprofit botanical garden operating themed gardens, conservation research, education programming, and special events. Comparable as a membership-driven garden with similar educational and event programming mix.

Regional players

• Hogle Zoo: Salt Lake City zoo and accredited member of AZA, operating a nonprofit attraction model with admissions, memberships, education, and conservation programming. Regional peer competing for the same Salt Lake City visitor, member, and school district dollars.
• Tracy Aviary: Salt Lake City-based nonprofit bird park and conservation organization. Regional peer competing for the same local visitor base, school field trip budget, and conservation-minded donor pool as Red Butte Garden.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/redbuttegarden
• Facebookfacebook.com/redbutte
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-butte-garden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Red Butte Garden