Cleveland Botanical Garden

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule othe cleveland botanical garden is located on 10 acres in the university circle neighborhood of cleveland. The garden comprises two indoor glasshouse biomes and outdoor gardens including the hershey children's garden, which was designed to engage children in the natural world around them. The cleveland botanical garden is integrated with the holden arboretum as holden forests & gardens ("hf&g"). The holden arboretum is located 25 miles from the garden, in kirtland, oh. 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 cleveland botanical garden fulfils this mission through core programming that focuses on horticulture and curation, education, exhibitions and events, and community outreach.in fiscal year 2025 ending september 30, 2025 (fy25), hf&g began to operationalize its 2025-2029 strategic plan, which is based on the strategic pillars of landscapes, inspiration, knowledge, community, and excellence. Additionally, hf&g began to advance planning and implementation for the organization's transformational 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.horticulture & collections: the horticulture & collections staff cultivates, maintains, and cares for 5,500 plants in the living collection at the cleveland botanical garden, along with over 100 live animals including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, and thousands more insects, that make their homes in the madagascar and costa rica glasshouses. The team stewards 10 acres of developed and cultivated gardens, ensuring that guests enjoy a sense of wonder and beauty every time they visit. In fy25, the horticulture staff advanced phased improvements to several signature garden spaces and completed a comprehensive evaluation of the cultivated garden spaces to identify opportunities for future enhancement and establish priorities for long-term investment and stewardship. The horticulture team also collaborates closely with the exhibits & experiences staff to deliver special exhibits and annual productions such as the guest favorite orchids exhibit and the winter show, frost. The collections curation staff launched flora-finder, the culmination of a 2-year, $246k grant from the institute of museum & library services making plant records and information more accessible to staff, industry professionals, and the public. The horticulture and collections team also works closely with the education staff to support both formal and informal learning experiences, such as the animal care team's creature feature program, which engaged over 6,700 guests in fy25. Education: the cleveland botanical garden offers a wide range of educational experiences for learners of all ages, from youth and school programs to adult and continuing education. School-based offerings include cle4sci, which serves third-grade classrooms in the cleveland metropolitan school district, and power of plants (pop), a large-scale assembly program reaching up to 250 students with a presentation and extended hands-on learning through small-group activities. In fy25, more than 11,850 students participated in these school programs. Beyond the classroom, the education team leads experiential learning spaces, including the hershey children's garden and the indoor, year-round harrington perennial playspace. These destinations support hands-on exploration through activities such as butterfly releases, pond dipping, nature crafting, and planting, engaging over 13,200 family members throughout the year. In fy25, the botanical garden hosted 6 summer camps serving 85 campers. Education progr

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 54.7%; rating input score 55
• Program expense ratio: 51.5%; rating input score 52
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • 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; 63rd 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: 3.8%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.79; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.3%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -3.8% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings