The Holden Arboretum

What it reported doing in 2023

See schedule othe holden arboretum is a 3,500-acre outdoor living museum that contributes to the sustainability and health of communities in the great lakes region by demonstrating and sharing the beauty and value of trees and plants. In addition, the arboretum holds approximately 1,600 acres in conservation easements and includes the 29-acre leach research station in madison, oh. The holden arboretum is integrated with the cleveland botanical garden as holden forests & gardens ("hf&g"). The cleveland botanical garden is an urban botanical garden located 25 miles from holden arboretum in the city of cleveland. Together, the institutions are accredited by the american alliance of museums and represent one of the largest public gardens in the country. The mission of the two organizations is to connect people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants, to inspire action for healthy communities. The holden arboretum fulfils this mission through core programming that focuses on scientific research, conservation, horticulture and curation, education, exhibitions and events, and community outreach. Fiscal year 2024 ending september 30, 2024 (fy24), was ed moydell's first year as new president and ceo, after joining the organization on september 1, 2023. In fy24, hf&g affirmed its mission and vision and developed a new strategic plan to guide the organization's work for 2025 through 2029. Pillars of the strategic plan are landscapes, inspiration, knowledge, community, and excellence. Additionally, hf&g affirmed its comprehensive site plan, comprising key projects that will ensure that both campuses are welcoming, year-round destinations for all guests that model and catalyze environmental stewardship. Hf&g also continued its core mission-focused programs.scientific research: the research staff published 18 peer-reviewed papers in industry journals and gave five presentations to professional audiences and 12 to public audiences. Ongoing research projects include studies on beech leaf disease; beech bark disease; hemlock wooly adelgid; plant physiology; plant phenology; soil ecology; forest ecology; and genetics; and 18 interns and six graduate students supported this work in fy24. Collectively, the research team was awarded two new grants totaling over $1.9 million. The master plan for expansion of the long center for plant & environmental research was also completed, which will add a new, two-story expansion with 8,000 square feet of new space and two new greenhouse structures. Hf&g also continued to develop a regional seedbank for climate mitigation and forest restoration work; the goal is to collect, store, and redistribute native seeds to support reforestation and restoration projects throughout northeast Ohio and beyond. In just a partial year of operation, the seedbank processed 150,000 seeds from 30 different native species.conservation and community forestry: the conservation team manages over 3,000 acres of natural areas at the arboretum. In fy24, they planted 11,232 trees and cared for or propagated about 900 additional trees, in addition to performing invasive species control on 712 acres. They also conducted rare plant surveys on 10 species and collected and propagated three rare plant species. In fy24, the team continued its assessment, treatment, and management of pests and diseases including beech leaf disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and oak wilt across approximately 750 acres. In urban forestry, 152 trees were planted and another 792 trees cared for in cuyahoga county. Hf&g's working woods initiative, which is a unique forest management demonstration site for landowners of small woodlots, received a $1.9m grant from the us forest service. The funding supported the hiring of three new staff members to expand our forest management support for private landowners. Finally, through the great lakes basin forest health collaborative, a partnership with the us forest service based at holden, 73,000 ash seeds were c

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 76.4%; rating input score 76
• Program expense ratio: 69.2%; rating input score 69
• Fundraising efficiency: $13.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 0.3%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.96; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings