civic garden center

What civic garden center does

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit founded in 1942 that provides gardening, horticulture, sustainability, environmental education, volunteer opportunities, and urban agriculture programs to children, families, gardeners, learners, and community groups across Greater Cincinnati. Its core programs include a network of more than 70 community gardens, classes and workshops, youth programs, volunteer workdays, the Hauck Botanic Garden outdoor classroom, the ReRooted native-plant program, the Community Herbarium, plant sales, and community festivals.

Service delivery is primarily physical and programmatic rather than technology-led: no proprietary technology systems, application programming interface, software development kit, or AI capability is identified. The organization uses its website, email newsletter, community outreach, partner gardens, classes, and events to attract participants. Its disclosed revenue mechanics include annual memberships, donations, class and event fees, facility rentals, camps, and plant sales; class pricing ranges from free to $75, while auditorium and garden rentals are priced at $200 per hour before 5 p.m. and $300 per hour afterward.

Name

civic garden center

Legal name

Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati

Website

https://civicgardencenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Civic Garden Center is a Cincinnati nonprofit providing gardening, horticulture, sustainability education, volunteer programs, and urban agriculture services to children, families, gardeners, and community groups across Greater Cincinnati through classes, gardens, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Gardening Education Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Garden Bed Installation & Planting (Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs) (HSAIAFAB), Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation (HSAIAFAK)

Keywords

• Community garden programs
• Horticulture education
• Environmental stewardship
• Volunteer gardening
• Urban agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program providing access to member-exclusive events, early shopping at plant sales, and class discounts. Membership fees are nonrefundable.
2. Donations and Contributions: Financial gifts from individuals and organizations supporting the nonprofit mission. The organization maintains a Network for Good donation platform.
3. Class and Event Fees: Fees charged for educational classes ranging from free to $75. Classes include workshops on gardening, sustainability, native plants, cooking, and more.
4. Facility Rentals: Rental of auditorium, patio, pergola, and garden spaces for private events. Rental fees are $200/hour before 5pm and $300/hour after 5pm.
5. Plant Sales: Annual plant sales including GrowFest and Fall Native Plant Festival, featuring native plants, vegetables, and herbs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on gardening, horticulture, sustainability, and environmental stewardship education to individuals, families, and community groups across Greater Cincinnati. It operates the historic Hauck Botanic Garden as an outdoor classroom, supports a network of 70+ community gardens with materials, seeds, and volunteer labor, runs youth programs, and hosts annual plant sales and festivals. Revenue is generated through membership fees, donations, class/event registrations, plant sales, and facility rentals of its auditorium and garden spaces.

Product overview

The Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati is a nonprofit organization (serving since 1942) that offers a portfolio of educational and community programs centered on gardening, environmental stewardship, and urban agriculture. The core offerings include educational classes and workshops, a network of over 70 community gardens, access to Hauck Botanic Garden (a 100-year-old public park and outdoor classroom), and the Community Herbarium initiative. Children's programming includes Lil' Sprouts (ages 3-8), Summer Sprouts Camp (grades 2-5), and youth education initiatives. The organization runs annual events including GrowFest Plant Sale and Fall Native Plant Festival, operates a facility rental service, and maintains a robust volunteer program with the annual Volunteer-A-Thon. The ReRooted program propagates 80 native plant species for distribution through community gardens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Classes and Workshops Classes and workshops covering gardening, sustainability, cooking, composting, native plants, and environmental education offered to the general public at the Civic Garden Center and community garden locations.
• Community Garden Network A network of over 70 community gardens across Greater Cincinnati, supported with materials, volunteers, tools, seed distribution, and plant distributions three times per growing season.
• Hauck Botanic Garden A 100-year-old public park and outdoor classroom featuring heritage ornamental collections, native plant installations, rain gardens, permaculture food forest, and multiple themed garden spaces; functions as the organization's headquarters and primary public venue.
• Community Herbarium

Named customers4 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

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Urban botanical garden with strong children's education, community gardening, and urban ecology programs — directly comparable urban-botanic-garden + education nonprofit model.
• New York Botanical Garden: National-scale botanical garden with education, horticulture, and conservation programs — comparable institutional model combining botanic garden operations with community education and outreach.
• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Pittsburgh-based botanical garden with sustainability education and community programming — comparable as a nonprofit botanic garden with education, sustainable infrastructure (Center for Sustainable Landscapes), and youth programming.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: Major Midwestern botanical garden operating herbarium, plant science, and education programs — relevant for the Community Herbarium initiative, native plant work, and educational programming comparison.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Large botanic garden with extensive education, native plant, and community horticulture programming — comparable as a botanic garden + education nonprofit, though at much larger scale and broader regional scope.

Direct peers

• Keep Growing Detroit: Detroit nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, community gardens, and gardening education — closely matches Civic Garden Center's community garden network, urban ag coordination, and native/vegetable plant distribution model.
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society: Philadelphia-based nonprofit running community greening, garden education, and the Philadelphia Flower Show — directly comparable as a horticultural-education nonprofit with community garden programs, plant sales, and educational programming.
• American Community Gardening Association: National membership-based nonprofit supporting community gardens and gardening education — direct peer given Civic Garden Center's 70+ garden network and educational/community programming focus.

Regional players

• Tyler Arboretum: Pennsylvania nonprofit arboretum with horticulture education and community programs — comparable scale and mission profile, though serving a different Mid-Atlantic geography rather than Cincinnati.
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: Nonprofit botanical garden in Maine with education programs, native plant focus, and event rentals — comparable nonprofit botanic-garden model with native plant and community education emphasis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civic-garden-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 civic garden center