Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden

What Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden does

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit-operated destination portfolio in Overland Park, Kansas, comprising a 300-acre Arboretum with more than 1,700 plant species, the 12-acre Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (home to nearly 250 animals and birds of prey depicting turn-of-century Kansas farm life), and citywide public art installations supported by the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park (ARFOP). ARFOP was founded in 1995 as the Overland Park Parks and Recreation Department Foundation, Inc., rebranded in 2001, and has since remitted more than $20 million in grants to the City of Overland Park for capital improvements across the three facilities. The organization is anchored by three parallel "Friends" membership groups — Friends of the Arboretum (FOTA), Friends of the Farmstead (FOF), and Friends of Overland Park Arts (FOA) — operating under a 21-person Board of Directors with a small 4-person executive staff (Executive Director, Development Director, Community Engagement Manager, Administrative Coordinator).

The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit stack rather than a single product line: it combines recurring annual memberships (starting at $25 for FOF), a calendar of 9+ ticketed signature events (Stems: A Garden Soirée, Luminary Walk, Botanical Brewfest, Terra Luna, Pumpkin Hollow, Night of the Living Farm, Nutcracker Tea Party, Georgia's Chicken Run, Tastings on the Terrace, Mayor's Golf Tournament) priced between $10 for entry-level fall events and $700-per-foursome for the golf tournament, tiered corporate partnership packages ($1,000-$5,000+), and high-end tribute/naming rights (pavers, bricks, benches, leaves from $100 to $10,000; major facility naming rights up to $1,000,000). Recent capital milestones include the 2024 opening of the $11M+ LongHouse Visitor Center (funded by 200+ donors), the Draft Horse Depot at the Farmstead, and the Emily Dickinson Garden, while 2025 brought a leadership transition with Sonya McLelland, CFRE, succeeding 26-year Executive Director Vicki Lilly.

Go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: grassroots volunteer infrastructure through the Friends groups drives membership, volunteerism, and word-of-mouth, while signature fundraising events drive both donor dollars and corporate sponsorship visibility. Channels span the foundation's website (artsandrec-op.org), email newsletters, organic social (Facebook, Instagram), real-time SMS alerts, third-party online ticketing via ShowClix/Leap Event Technology, and an on-site retail footprint (gift shop and Café Celeste at the LongHouse Visitor Center). Customers are segmented across underserved youth (subsidized field trips via KC Urban Advantage), metro residents and families, garden/horticulture enthusiasts (reciprocal access to 300+ North American gardens), and corporate partners seeking community alignment.

Name

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden

Legal name

The Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park, Inc.

Website

https://artsandrec-op.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park operates the 300-acre Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, the 12-acre Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, and citywide public art in Overland Park, Kansas, supporting them via three Friends membership groups, signature fundraising events, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Gardens & Cultural Attractions

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

Keywords

• Botanical garden attractions
• Public gardens and arboreta
• Children's farmstead experiences
• Outdoor educational programs
• Community cultural amenities

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Revenue: Major signature events including Stems: A Garden Soirée, Mayor's Golf Tournament, Botanical Brewfest, Terra Luna, Pumpkin Hollow, Night of the Living Farm, and Luminary Walk generate ticket sales revenue. Events feature food, beverage, entertainment, and sponsorship opportunities.
2. Membership Programs: Three Friends groups (Friends of the Arboretum, Friends of the Farmstead, Friends of Overland Park Arts) offer annual memberships providing free admission, event discounts, and exclusive benefits. Combined membership packages are also available.
3. Donations and Tributes: Individual donations support capital improvements, educational programs, and general operations. Tribute gifts include commemorative leaves, pavers, bricks, benches, horseshoes, and naming opportunities at various price points.
4. Commemorative Naming Rights: Major naming opportunities including Environmental Education Center ($1,000,000), Train Garden ($400,000), Lakeside Amphitheater ($250,000), Monet Bridge ($50,000), and boardwalk ($40,000). Tribute leaves range from $1,500 to $10,000 based on size.
5. Corporate Sponsorships: Community Partnership Program offers customizable year-round sponsorship packages with marketing recognition, onsite visibility, event tickets, and brand alignment with arts and recreation initiatives.
6. Grants to City: The foundation has provided more than $20 million in grants to the City of Overland Park for capital improvements at the Arboretum, Farmstead, and public art installations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden, operated by the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park (ARFOP), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that maintains and operates a 300-acre arboretum with 1,700+ plant species, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (12 acres with 250+ animals), public art installations, and visitor facilities such as the LongHouse Visitor Center, Train Garden, and Growing Kindness Sculpture. The organization hosts annual membership programs, seasonal plant sales, signature events (Luminary Walk, Pumpkin Hollow, Botanical Brewfest, etc.), and a corporate Community Partnership Program.

Product overview

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden operates as a unified destination portfolio comprising a 300-acre botanical garden with over 1,700 plant species, the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead (12-acre educational farm), and public art installations throughout Overland Park. The facilities are supported by three membership programs (Friends of the Arboretum, Friends of the Farmstead, Friends of Overland Park Arts) and operated in partnership with the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park. Core offerings include general admission access, facility rentals, educational field trips, and signature special events including Stems: A Garden Soirée, Terra Luna, Luminary Walk, Botanical Brewfest, Night of the Living Farm, Pumpkin Hollow, and seasonal plant sales. The LongHouse Visitor Center (opened 2024) serves as the primary event venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends of the Arboretum (FOTA): Membership group dedicated to fostering, promoting and developing the aesthetic, educational, recreational, cultural, environmental, and scientific aspects of the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.
• Friends of the Farmstead (FOF)
• Friends of Overland Park Arts

Products and services

• Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens A 300-acre public arboretum and botanical garden featuring more than 1,700 species of plants, themed gardens, walking trails, and outdoor recreational spaces open to community members, families, schools, and tourists.
• Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $20 million in grants provided to City of Overland Park for capital improvements
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, important, major and minor.

• City of Overland ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARFOP serves as the official nonprofit partner of the City of Overland Park's Parks and Recreation Department, raising funds for capital improvements, educational programs, and community events at the Arboretum, Farmstead, and public art installations. The City provides facilities, staff support, and operational partnership.
• KC Urban AdvantageimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership identifying underserved children for subsidized field trip programs at the Arboretum and Farmstead. Children experience hiking, learning about pollinators, wildlife interactions, wagon rides, fishing, and blacksmith demonstrations.
• QuixoticimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership for Terra Luna, an immersive multimedia experience at the Arboretum featuring live music, dance, aerial acrobatics, light design, and costumed performers. Unique collaboration creating boundary-breaking environmental art.
• Crescendo ConservatoryimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance education partner for the annual Nutcracker Tea Party, performing a shortened version of the holiday ballet for children ages 3-10 alongside a tea party experience. Proceeds benefit arts education in low-income schools.
• Westlake Ace HardwaremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Luminary Walk, the 27th annual holiday light event at the Arboretum. Sponsors receive prominent recognition across event marketing materials.
• FNBOmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Luminary Walk holiday light event alongside Westlake Ace Hardware and Sarin Energy Solutions.
• Sarin Energy SolutionsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Luminary Walk holiday light event alongside Westlake Ace Hardware and FNBO.
• AdventHealth South Overland ParkmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Pumpkin Hollow fall event at the Farmstead, featuring hayrides, pumpkin patch, and family activities.
• Bietigheim-Bissingen (Sister City)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOverland Park's German sister city relationship established 25+ years ago. ARFOP participates in cultural exchange related to parks and public art. Sculpture by Dieter Kranzlein commissioned for new Bietigheim-Bissingen Park in Overland Park.
• Johnson County Extension Master GardenersimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative partnership operating the Monet Garden at the Arboretum. EMG volunteers (35-40 each Wednesday morning) design, maintain, and enhance the garden in the style of Monet's garden in Giverny, France. Planted 8,400+ annuals, 3,600 bulbs, and 244 perennials annually with 4,400+ volunteer hours.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlanta Botanical Garden: A 30-acre nonprofit botanical garden with comparable membership programs, signature seasonal light events (Garden Lights), children's programming, and a reciprocal admission network. Larger scale and more urban footprint, but directly analogous operating model.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest botanical gardens in the U.S. (est. 1859) and a global leader in plant science and horticulture. Operates a comparable nonprofit membership model with ticketed events, education programs, and reciprocal garden network participation — but at materially larger scale and with a research mission.
• Longwood Gardens: A 1,077-acre nonprofit display garden in Kennett Square, PA with paid ticketing, membership, signature seasonal events, and a separate Longwood Gardens Foundation. Comparable operating structure and fundraising model, but on a dramatically larger scale and operating budget.
• Morton Arboretum: A 1,700-acre tree-focused arboretum in Lisle, IL with similar nonprofit governance, membership, research, and signature seasonal light events (Illumination). Comparable operating model and event-driven revenue mix, with a larger scientific and conservation mission.
• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: A nonprofit glasshouse botanical garden in Pittsburgh with comparable mission-driven focus on horticulture, education, and seasonal flower shows. Operates a similar membership/event/fundraising mix, though with a more indoor-conservatory orientation.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: A 385-acre nonprofit botanic garden with 27 gardens and four natural areas, membership programs, signature seasonal events (Lightscape), and reciprocal admission networks. Operates a directly analogous nonprofit-funded garden model but at significantly larger scale and budget.

Direct peers

• Dawes Arboretum: A 2,000-acre nonprofit arboretum near Newark, OH with a comparable focus on plant collections, themed gardens, member-supported operations, and seasonal events. Similar Midwestern nonprofit arboretum profile and event-driven revenue model.
• Powell Gardens: A 970-acre botanical garden located about 30 miles east of Overland Park in Kingsville, MO. Operates a comparable nonprofit-supported botanical garden model with themed gardens, educational programming, membership, and signature seasonal events. Most direct geographic and operational peer.
• Myriad Botanical Gardens: A 15-acre nonprofit botanical garden in downtown Oklahoma City with similar municipal partnership roots (operated under a public trust), paid attractions, membership, and educational programming. Closely mirrors ARFOP's nonprofit-supporting-municipal-facility structure at smaller scale.

Regional players

• Kansas City Zoo: A 200+ acre nonprofit zoo in the same Kansas City metro as ARFOP, operated by the Kansas City Zoo Foundation in partnership with the city. Adjacent family-outdoor-attraction competitor for regional leisure dollars, donor attention, and corporate sponsorships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden