Kansas Native Plant Society

What Kansas Native Plant Society does

Kansas Native Plant Society (KNPS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 as the Kansas Wildflower Society and rebranded under its current name in 2004. Headquartered administratively at the R.L. McGregor Herbarium at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the society serves as the primary statewide network for native plant enthusiasts in Kansas, including botanists, gardeners, landscapers, farmers, ranchers, students, and educators. The organization is volunteer-led with no full-time administrative staff, governed by a Board of Directors and supported by regional volunteer leaders organized into membership regions across the state.

KNPS operates a portfolio of educational programs, publications, and community-building initiatives. Core digital assets include the kansasnativeplantsociety.org website, the KSWildflower.org searchable plant identification database (8,783 identification photos for 1,025 species), and active social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. Signature programs include the Annual Wildflower Weekend (a three-day fall event), the Spring Wildflower Weekend, the Plant A Prairie K-12 garden initiative, the annual photo contest, the Native Plant of the Year program, and recurring awards and scholarships (Stephen L. Timme Excellence in Botany Award, Sheldon and Virginia Cohen Memorial Award, Rachel Snyder Memorial Landscape Award, Mary A. Bancroft Memorial Scholarship, and an annual non-profit funding grant of at least $1,000). KNPS has issued over 1,000 sponsored or co-sponsored outings statewide and awarded over 100 Plant A Prairie gardens since inception.

Revenue is generated through membership dues ($15 student to $500 lifetime), donations across multiple named funds (General, Bancroft, Legacy, Plant A Prairie), and tuition/event fees. Membership is acquired primarily through community-driven referrals, partnerships with allied organizations (garden clubs, Master Gardeners, Audubon, Sierra Club, scout troops), and digital channels. KNPS holds an annual Kansas Governor's proclamation of Native Plant Appreciation Month (continuously since 2007) and is financed without external investment or fundraising rounds. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates exclusively within Kansas.

Name

Kansas Native Plant Society

Legal name

Kansas Native Plant Society

Website

https://kansasnativeplantsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Founded 1978 and based in Lawrence, Kansas, the Kansas Native Plant Society is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes native plant education, conservation, and community engagement for ~730 annual members statewide through publications, events, scholarships, and the KSWildflower.org plant database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide the primary recurring revenue stream. Dues range from $15 (Student) to $500 (Lifetime), with Individual ($20), Family ($30), Organization ($35), and Contributing ($100) tiers.
2. Donations: Members and supporters make additional donations to support specific programs including the General Fund, Bancroft Scholarship Fund, Legacy Fund, and Plant A Prairie program. Donation levels range from $10 to $1,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kansas Native Plant Society is a volunteer-led, membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes awareness, appreciation, and conservation of Kansas native plants. It sells tiered annual memberships and runs educational programs including the Annual Wildflower Weekend, the KSWildflower.org plant identification database, the Plant A Prairie school garden program, scholarships, and recognition awards funded primarily through membership dues and donations.

Product overview

The Kansas Native Plant Society operates as a membership-based non-profit organization offering a portfolio of programs and services centered on native plant education, stewardship, and conservation in Kansas. The core offerings include membership programs at multiple tiers providing access to quarterly newsletters, events, and educational resources; signature gatherings such as the Annual Wildflower Weekend (three-day fall event) and Spring Wildflower Weekend; and recognition programs including the Stephen L. Timme Excellence in Botany Award, Sheldon and Virginia Cohen Memorial Award for Service, Rachel Snyder Memorial Landscape Award, Mary A. Bancroft Memorial Scholarship ($1,000), and Non-Profit Funding grants. Additional programs include the Plant A Prairie initiative providing free garden kits to Kansas schools, the annual KNPS Photo Contest, and the Native Plant of the Year program. Educational resources include the KSWildflower.org searchable database (8,783 photos for 1,025 species), Native Plant Photo Gallery, Podcasts & Video resources, and the Kansas Ecoregions educational resource. The society also maintains membership regions with local volunteer leaders organizing regional events, field trips, and workshops across the state.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KNPS Membership Program Tiered annual membership program granting access to the quarterly printed newsletter, native plant events, the Annual Wildflower Weekend, the photo contest, and educational resources for individuals, families, students, organizations, and lifetime supporters in Kansas.
• Annual Wildflower Weekend (AWW) Three-day annual fall event featuring botanical workshops, botanizing outings, photo contest, silent auction, and the KNPS annual membership business meeting, held at rotating Kansas locations.
• Spring Wildflower Weekend Springtime mini-event with botanizing trips to private ranches and natural areas otherwise not open to the public, providing members and attendees field access to native plant habitats.
• KNPS Annual Photo Contest Annual photography competition with categories including Flora, Fauna, Garden, People, Scenery, and Native Plant of the Year; winning photos are published in the newsletter and on the website.
• Mary A. Bancroft Memorial Scholarship $1,000 scholarship supporting graduate student research on native plant species, ecosystems, and conservation, open to students enrolled in Kansas colleges and universities.
• KNPS Non-Profit Funding Program Annual grant program committing at least $1,000 to fund Kansas non-profit organizations advancing education, stewardship, or research on native plants of Kansas.
• Plant A Prairie Program Grant program providing free native plant garden kits (32 live plants, 8 species) to Kansas K-12 teachers and youth organization leaders to establish classroom prairie gardens.
• KSWildflower.org Plant Identification Database Public searchable online database featuring 8,783 identification photos for 1,025 species of forbs, grasses, sedges, rushes, trees, and woody plants found in Kansas, searchable by flower color, bloom month, common name, and scientific name.

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• R.L. McGregor Herbarium at University of KansascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992From 1992-1993, sponsorship moved to the R.L. McGregor Herbarium at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. The herbarium serves as the archive for KNPS files, holding all past minutes, newsletters, and official documents. It also provides a point of contact for the public and provides basic administrative functions for the organization.
• Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978In the 1970s and 1980s, the Kansas Wildflower Society (now KNPS) was sponsored by the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University in Topeka, providing early institutional support and legitimacy for the organization.
• The Nature ConservancyminorOthersRecipient of KNPS funding for prairie restoration projects that fulfill the KNPS mission to promote, preserve, and utilize native plants.
• Earth Partnership for SchoolsminorOthersKNPS provides support for native plant-associated activities and materials to schools through the Plant-A-Prairie project and Earth Partnership for Schools.
• Grassland Heritage FoundationminorOthersRachel Snyder donated her Snyder Prairie near Topeka to the Grassland Heritage Foundation for preservation and scholarship purposes.
• Garden ClubsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organizations for KNPS events; garden clubs have interested members for native plant education and outreach activities.
• Master GardenersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organizations for KNPS events; Master Gardeners have interested members for native plant education and outreach activities.
• Audubon GroupsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organizations for KNPS events; Audubon groups have interested members for native plant education and outreach activities.
• Sierra ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organizations for KNPS events; Sierra Club has interested members for native plant education and outreach activities.
• Scout TroopsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organizations for KNPS events; scout troops have interested members for native plant education and outdoor learning activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• California Native Plant Society: State-level native plant society with similar mission of conserving and promoting native plants. Comparable membership-based nonprofit structure, statewide chapters, plant identification database, and educational programs.
• Florida Native Plant Society: Statewide native plant conservation nonprofit with membership tiers, chapters, scholarships, and conferences. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and program offerings to KNPS.
• North Carolina Native Plant Society: Statewide native plant society with membership programs, educational events, and conservation grants. Shares comparable nonprofit structure and member-driven GTM motion.
• Tennessee Native Plant Society: State-level native plant society focused on Tennessee flora with similar membership tiers, plant identification resources, and educational events. Comparable scale and mission.
• Texas Native Plant Society: State-level native plant society focused on Texas flora with comparable membership model, educational events, and conservation programming. Geographically adjacent to Kansas with similar grassland ecosystems.
• Missouri Native Plant Society: Neighboring state-level native plant society with similar member-driven structure, educational events, and conservation focus. Strong geographic and ecological overlap with Kansas native plant communities.
• Native Plant Society of New Jersey: State-level native plant society with comparable membership tiers, educational programming, scholarships, and stewardship initiatives. Direct structural parallel to KNPS.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Major national conservation organization with overlapping native plant and habitat protection interests. Audubon groups are listed as KNPS partners, but Audubon operates at vastly larger scale with paid staff and national scope.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Nationally recognized native plant institution affiliated with the University of Texas. Comparable focus on native plant education and conservation, but operates at significantly larger institutional scale with a physical site.
• Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society): Older and larger native plant conservation organization operating across New England. Comparable mission of native plant conservation, public gardens, and educational programming, but with significantly more resources and institutional scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KansasNativePlantSociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/accounts/login
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-native-plant-society

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Kansas Native Plant Society