Denver Botanic Gardens

What it reported doing in 2025

Horticulture, science and conservation: denver botanic gardens is responsible for living plant collections and horticultural garden displays, which include more than 57,000 living plants, belonging to 10,000+ species and more than 36,000 accessions. Our wide range of gardens illustrate the connection between plants and people. Our diverse collections feature plants from all corners of the world, from the tropics to the tundra. Distinctive gardens define and celebrate our regional sense of place in our unique high altitude, semi-arid climate and geography. As an accredited museum, our diverse collections are used for education, research and pure enjoyment. Among our living collections reside two national collections registered with the national plant collections network (pcn): oaks (quercus) and alpines of the world. Scientific research is closely linked to everything at the gardens. The core motivation of our scientific work is to investigate and explain biodiversity patterns and processes. We actively conduct scientific research, serve as a resource of scientific expertise and work to train the next generation of scientists. Our programs include population monitoring, seed collection, genetic investigations for conservation or taxonomic clarification, habitat restoration, urban tree assessments and community science. The gardens documents plant and fungal diversity with a focus on the southern rocky mountain region through our collecting efforts. The kathryn kalmbach vascular plant herbarium houses more than 80,000 specimens while the sam mitchel herbarium of fungi houses over 20,000 well-curated specimens from the region. We accessioned our 100,000th specimen in 2024, and continue to expand our collections through targeted growth. The gardens trains the next generation of scientists through graduate student programs in collaboration with the university of Colorado at denver. Our expanded restoration studies examining seed mixes and influence of a warming climate on plant success through common garden studies continue with two active field sites. We launched a native plant materials program in partnership with the u.s. Bureau of land management. In addition, we analyzed genetic data on plants from multiple source locations growing in our common garden in order to better understand the influence of genetics and environment on success of restoration projects.the gardens' center for global initiatives is an example of the gardens' work around the globe. We continued our collaboration with instituto nacional de tecnologia agropecuaria (inta), argentina in 2025. This collaboration was developed to exchange information and capacity on propagation and research of native flora of both argentina, patagonia in particular, and the rocky mountain and plains regions of Colorado. In 2025 the center for global initiatives also stewards the exchange of knowledge, resources, and collaboration of national academy of sciences, institutes of botany throughout central asia and mongolia. The gardens' center for global initiatives conducted multiple plant exploration and collecting trips through international partnerships in kazakhstan, argentina and mongolia.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 82.9%; rating input score 83
• Program expense ratio: 88.6%; rating input score 89
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 31st 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: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 8.7%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.4%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings