The Garden Conservancy Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Our organizational practices focus on three main areas: preservation, education, and advocacy. We work to restore historic american gardens, assist private gardens in their desire to become public amenities, present educational programs for all ages relating to the history and cultural significance of gardens and gardening, and open private gardens across the nation to the public through our "open days" program.continued on schedule o.in 2025, the garden conservancy continued to strengthen and expand its programs thanks to the generosity and engagement of a growing community of members, donors, and event participants. During the 2025 season, open days welcomed more than 32,000 visitors to 347 garden-visiting opportunities and presented sixteen virtual programs to over 7,000 participants. The national speaking tour featured celebrated photographer ngoc minh NGO, who shared her passion for roses and photography and her insights into breathtaking rose gardens from england and france to japan and the united states. Our garden futures grants program (including the page dickey grant for american gardens) supported twenty-eight non-profit organizations making a difference in their local communities through garden-based programming and the study of garden history. Our preservation program continued to offer guidance and assistance to those seeking resources to preserve or restore gardens; while also ensuring the longevity of the eight gardens the garden conservancy protects through conservation easements. Through the suzanne and frederic rheinstein fund for documentary films, we continued the film documentation of the anne spencer house and garden museum in lynchburg, va, and held a premiere of earth i thank you: the garden and legacy of anne spencer at the smithsonian's national museum of african american history and culture in Washington, dc.nancy friese became the garden conservancy's first artist in residence. Her residency focused on documenting the shifting seasons at two landmark sites currently under restoration: weathersfield estate & garden in amenia and blithewood garden in annandale-on-hudson.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 69.7%; rating input score 70
• Program expense ratio: 71.8%; rating input score 72
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 32.5%; rating input score 33; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• 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: 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: 23.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.65; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 18.8%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings