DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

909 YORK ST, DENVER, CO 80206-3751

In care of

% DENV

Principal officer (990 for 2025)

DONNA MCGINNIS, 909 YORK STREET, DENVER, CO 802063751

Signed the 990

JOHN CALDERHEAD, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Phone

(720) 865-3500

Website

WWW.BOTANICGARDENS.ORG

Return prepared by

CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP

Mission

TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH PLANTS, ESPECIALLY PLANTS FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION AND SIMILAR REGIONS AROUND THE WORLD, PROVIDING DELIGHT AND ENLIGHTENMENT TO EVERYONE.

Program accomplishments

• CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: CAPITAL EXPENSES AT THE YORK STREET LOCATION ARE EXPENSED WHEN INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE GARDENS' COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER. THE CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER OWNS THE PROPERTIES OPERATED BY THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS.CAPITAL EXPENSES AT THE CHATFIELD LOCATION ARE EXPENSED WHEN INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE GARDENS' LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS. MAJOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN 2025 INCLUDED THE COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW WELCOME CENTER AT CHATFIELD FARMS AND ASSOCIATED SITE IMPROVEMENTS, REPRESENTING THE FIRST PHASE OF ITS MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
  Expenses $6,082,403
• VISITOR EXPERIENCE: IN 2025, 1,415,654 INDIVIDUALS VISITED THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS. SEVEN EXHIBITIONS OPENED IN THE FREYER NEWMAN CENTER GALLERIES, FEATURING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS. AN ADDITIONAL POP-UP EXHIBITION OF WORK BY STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION WAS STAGED ON THE ROBERT ANDREW MING BRIDGE. BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITION BLUE GRASS, GREEN SKIES: AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM AND REALISM FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART FEATURED A SELECTION OF LANDSCAPES AND URBAN SCENES, COMPLEMENTED BY LARGE GOLD FRAMES SITED THROUGHOUT THE GARDENS HIGHLIGHTING SCENIC VIEWS. EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED NOURISHED: WORKS BY JAZZ HOLMES AND ANNA KAYE: FINDING LIGHT, BOTH PRESENTING EMERGING COLORADO ARTISTS. FOUR TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS TOURED TO FIVE VENUES NATIONWIDE, INCLUDING SPIRIT GUIDES: FANTASTICAL CREATURES FROM THE WORKSHOP OF JACOBO AND MARA ANGELES AT FERNBANK MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, AND DALLAS ARBORETUM IN DALLAS, TEXAS. THREE ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE (LAURA BALL, SONG KANG AND KELSEY WILSON) COLLABORATED WITH GARDENS STAFF TO CREATE ARTWORK EXPLORING HUMANITY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATURAL WORLD, CULMINATING IN ORIGINAL WORKS ACQUIRED INTO THE GARDENS' ART COLLECTION. BLOSSOMS OF LIGHT, THE GARDENS' LARGEST EVENT, WELCOMED 193,404 VISITORS. THE GARDENS ALSO HOSTED EVENINGS AL FRESCO AND GLOW AT THE GARDENS IN ADDITION TO AN ONLINE SPRING PLANT SALE & FALL PLANT & BULB SALE.
  Expenses $9,473,554 · revenue $14,269,479
• EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS WORKS TO BE A WELCOMING, DIVERSE, AND ACCESSIBLE PLACE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, OFFERING REDUCED-FEE AND FREE-ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS SO THAT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, ABILITIES, AND BACKGROUNDS CAN EXPERIENCE AND BENEFIT FROM ITS GARDENS, COLLECTIONS, AND PROGRAMS. IN 2025, DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS' EDUCATION PROGRAMS REACHED 39,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN, PROVIDING HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES, STANDARDS-BASED SCIENCE LESSONS AND THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE THE MARVELS OF THE PLANT WORLD, BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. ABOUT 20% OF THESE CHILDREN CAME FROM LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS AND BENEFITED FROM THE GARDENS' EDUCATIONAL ACCESS PROGRAM. MORE THAN 13,000 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS WHILE THE MORDECAI CHILDREN'S GARDEN CONTINUED TO FLOURISH. ADULT CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS SERVED 30,000 REGISTRANTS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF CONTENT AREAS. THE HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY OFFERED PUBLIC, IN-PERSON ACCESS SIX DAYS A WEEK AND ELECTRONIC ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.OUTREACH PROGRAMS ARE A CORNERSTONE IN THE GARDENS' MISSION AND INCLUDE HORTICULTURE THERAPY FOR THE ELDERLY, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND CANCER PATIENTS. OUR URBAN FOOD INITIATIVES PROVIDED FRESH PRODUCE TO LOCAL FOOD DESERT COMMUNITIES, DISTRIBUTING 15,000 POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS.
  Expenses $8,072,158 · revenue $1,775,350
• OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
  Expenses $7,023,354
• 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.
  Expenses $6,800,326
• THE MISSION OF DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS CHATFIELD FARMS IS TO INSPIRE THE PUBLIC TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT BY CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OUR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. CHATFIELD FARMS IS A 700-ACRE NATIVE PLANT REFUGE AND WORKING FARM LOCATED ALONG THE BANKS OF DEER CREEK IN SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. CONSTRUCTION FOR PHASE 1 OF THE MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND THE 4.5-ACRE SOLAR FARM WAS COMPLETED IN 2025. EIGHTEEN MILLION DOLLARS IN IMPROVEMENTS WERE ADDED, INCLUDING THE ROBERT AND JUDI NEWMAN WELCOME CENTER AND THE BORGEN FAMILY MARKET SQUARE. ATTENDANCE FOR DAILY VISITATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS WAS UP 30,000 PEOPLE TO 233,300. THE LAVENDER FESTIVAL HOSTED 9,500 ATTENDEES OVER TWO DAYS. THE CORN MAZE WELCOMED 60,680 VISITORS DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. THE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL HOSTED MORE THAN 38,000 ATTENDEES, WITH 34,000 PUMPKINS PURCHASED BY VISITORS. TRAIL OF LIGHTS ATTENDANCE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY TO 47,380. PRIVATE EVENTS HOSTED 126 EVENTS, GENERATING $622,450 IN REVENUE. THE HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT ADDED 5,000 NEW ACCESSIONS TO THE PLANT COLLECTIONS WHILE ALSO DESIGNING AND INSTALLING NEW GARDENS FOR PHASE 1. MORE THAN AN ACRE OF NEW GARDENS, INCLUDING A NEW CREVICE GARDEN, XERIC GARDENS, AND 150 NEW TREES WERE PLANTED. THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) PROGRAM PRODUCED OVER 62,616 POUNDS OF VEGETABLES FOR 360 CSA SHAREHOLDERS. THE SOLAR GARDEN, SUPPORTED BY THE DENVER CLIMATE ACTION OFFICE, PRODUCED 1,273 POUNDS OF VEGETABLES DONATED TO FAMILIES IN NEED. THE CUT-FLOWER PROGRAM EXPANDED TO SUPPORT FIVE LARGE WEDDINGS, HARVESTED 25,000 STEMS FOR 840 CSA BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTIONS, SUPPORTED SIX CORPORATE EVENTS, AND LAUNCHED NEW SALES IN THE WELCOME CENTER.
  Expenses $4,709,229 · revenue $3,047,394

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

84-0440359

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1952

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Environment (C410)

Assets (IRS master file)

$24,951,866

Income (IRS master file)

$54,382,179

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 84-0440359).

Questions about DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC

What is the EIN of DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC?

The employer identification number (EIN) of DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC is 84-0440359.

Is DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1952.

Are donations to DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC due?

The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.

Who is the principal officer of DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names DONNA MCGINNIS.

Who are the officers and directors of DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 44 people; 8 received compensation from the organization, the highest $352,516 (JOHN CALDERHEAD, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER).

How much revenue does DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN INC have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $52,099,889, expenses of $47,586,451 and total assets of $24,951,866 at year end.

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