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BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN CORPORATION
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 112417338 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE C410 · Environment · Large ($10M-$50M) · bbg.org
revenue
$36.2M
expenses
$29.4M
net assets
$144.2M
employees
328
volunteers
750
program ratio
82%
mission · from form 990

AN URBAN BOTANIC GARDEN THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO THE WORLD OF PLANTS (SEE SCHEDULE O).

profile · synthesized from sources

Urban botanic garden in Brooklyn, NY, that connects people to plants through horticulture, education, and public programming. Maintains diverse display gardens and conservation initiatives while serving as a green space for the public. Offers educational outreach to schools and community groups, with a focus on urban gardening and environmental stewardship.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $5.26M
    HORTICULTURE: SEE SCHEDULE O.
  2. #2 $4.85M
    EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS: SEE SCHEDULE O.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Children's Garden Program
One-acre vegetable garden where city children grow their own food plants; one of the first programs of its kind, established in 1914
Garden Apprentice Program
Program for teens offering hands-on experience in horticulture and garden maintenance
Greenest Block in Brooklyn Contest
Annual contest encouraging community greening efforts; celebrated with a Block Party event
Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship
Fellowship supporting artists to create installations that explore ecological knowledge and stewardship through an Afro-diasporic and Latinx lens
Project Green Reach
Outreach program serving elementary and middle school classes in Brooklyn's Title I schools with gardening and environmental education
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 2 activities
    • Deliver educational programs for children and families
      Offers hands-on, drop-in nature exploration programs in the Discovery Garden for families, school groups, and camp groups; operates the one-acre Children's Garden where urban children grow food plants; and hosts weekly summer educational programs and free guided walks highlighting seasonal blooms, facilitated by trained staff and teenage Garden Apprentices.
    • Operate and maintain urban botanic garden grounds
      Manages a historic urban botanic garden established in 1910, including ongoing horticulture activities, garden maintenance, and sustainable water conservation systems such as the recirculating Water Conservation Project and the stormwater-retaining Shelby White and Leon Levy Water Garden.
  • Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
    • Host public events and cultural exhibitions
      Presents themed public events such as seven summer picnic nights with live music, story time, movies, and cultural celebrations; offers exclusive evening access for members; and produces immersive, culturally focused exhibitions like "Ancestral Ecologies" and "Block by Block," which explore diasporic ecological knowledge, urban green spaces, and community stories through participatory art and installations.
  • Community Stewardship Volunteer Programs 1 activity
    • Provide community outreach and public engagement programming
      Conducts Project Green Reach, an outreach initiative serving elementary and middle school classes in Brooklyn Title I schools, and fosters public connection to urban greening through events like the annual Block Party, which includes free admission, live entertainment, exhibits on community gardening, and interactive activities.
  • Youth Workforce Development in Food & Environment 1 activity
    • Run youth development and workforce training programs
      Administers the Garden Apprentice Program for teenagers and co-founded the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment, a public high school that uses the garden for project-based science curriculum and student research opportunities.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Conduct horticultural and environmental research
      Carries out long-term scientific research including the New York Metropolitan Flora Project, a 20-year regional plant survey; develops new plant cultivars such as the patented yellow _Magnolia_ × 'Elizabeth'; and publishes authoritative gardening books to advance horticultural knowledge.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$36.20M
Contributions & grants$27.02M75%
Program service revenue$6.07M17%
Investment income$1.02M3%
Other revenue$2.09M
expenses
Total expenses$29.43M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$20.73M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$158.77M
Cash$14.50M
Investments$113.14M
Liabilities$14.62M
Net assets$144.15M
Liquid reserves52.0 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +18.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 7
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ADRIAN BENEPE PRESIDENT 40 $393K
KATHRYN GLASS CHIEF OF MARKETING AND VIS 40 $267K
DOROTA RASHID CFO, VP OF FINANCE 40 $266K
LESLIE FINDLEN SENIOR VP OF INSTITUTIONAL 40 $264K
ROWAN BLAIK VICE PRESIDENT OF HORTICUL 40 $180K
TRACEY FAIRELAND VP OF CAPITAL PROJECTS 40 $166K
SONAL BHATT VP OF EDUCATION 40 $160K
board members · 18
  • ADAM DURRETT — TRUSTEE
  • CHLOE THEVENOZ — TRUSTEE
  • CONSTANCE R ROOSEVELT — TRUSTEE
  • COURTNEY BROADWATER — TRUSTEE
  • DANA DIRICKSON — FORMER TRUSTEE
  • DIANE H STEINBERG — BOARD CHAIR
  • DONALD A GOLDSMITH — TRUSTEE
  • DONALD REED — TRUSTEE
  • EARL D WEINER — TRUSTEE
  • ELIZABETH GILE — TRUSTEE
  • ELLEN PETERSEN — TRUSTEE
  • EMME LEVIN DELAND — TRUSTEE
  • FREDERICK BLAND — TRUSTEE
  • JENNIFER ROGG EISENSTADT — VICE CHAIR
  • JOHN SHAHEEN — TRUSTEE
  • JON SCHIPPERS — TRUSTEE
  • KEISHA DIXON — TRUSTEE
  • KRYSTYNA HOUSER — TRUSTEE
relationships · 32

Who they work with

  • AD—WO Partner — Collaborates with Brooklyn Botanic Garden as lead artists and environmental thinkers in the creation of the Ancestral Ecologies exhibition.
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies Funder — Foundation donor contributing between $20,000 and $49,999 to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment Partner — Co-founded the public high school BASE to provide project-based science education using the Garden as a research site.
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Auxiliary Partner — Formed in 1917 to support the Garden and contributed to multiple projects including the Herb Garden, Magnolia Plaza, and Cherry Esplanade.
  • Brooklyn Org Funder — Organization contributing between $20,000 and $49,999 to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Brooklyn Org Partner — Major sponsor of the Block Party and the Block by Block exhibit.
  • Con Edison Funder — Corporate donor contributing $100,000 or more to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Eastern Parkway Government — Temporary closure of entrance located at 150 Eastern Parkway.
  • GuideStar Network — Platform for accessing Brooklyn Botanic Garden's organizational information and past IRS Form 990 returns.
  • Heidi Nitze Foundation Funder — Funds Brooklyn Botanic Garden at the $300,000+ level to support its programs.
  • Heidi Nitze Foundation Funder — Provides financial support for the Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Helen V. Froehlich Foundation Funder — Funds Brooklyn Botanic Garden at the $300,000+ level to support its programs.
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services Government — Supports Brooklyn Botanic Garden through public funding.
  • J.C.C. Fund, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York Funder — Supports Japanese collections and programs at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Lenape Partner — Collaborates with Lenape communities to inform educational practices and land stewardship.
  • MUFG Bank, Ltd. Funder — Supports Japanese collections and programs at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • McKim, Mead & White Partner — Designed the Administration Building and Palm House, now designated landmarks.
  • Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Partner — Collaborated on the design of the New Discovery Garden and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Water Garden.
  • National Grid Funder — Corporate donor contributing $100,000 or more to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • National Grid Partner — Major supporter of Discovery Programs at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • Natural Materials Lab of Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Partner — Provides material consultation for the Earthen Tiles installation through Lola Ben-Alon of the Natural Materials Lab.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funds that support the operation of Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Government — Provides public funding to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s programs.
  • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — Supports Brooklyn Botanic Garden through public funding.
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Government — Provides public funding to support Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York Network — Resource for information about IRS Form 990.
  • Office of the New York State Attorney General and The New York Community Trust through the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund Funder — Funds pollinator conservation initiatives at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Olalekan Jeyifous Partner — Co-creates the Ancestral Ecologies exhibition as a 2026 Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellow in collaboration with Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
  • Olmsted Brothers Partner — Designed the original site plan for the Garden in 1910.
  • Queer Soup Night Partner — Cohosts Members’ Pride Night at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
+ 2 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Cohosted Cultural Engagement
    methodology: community-cohosted events
    By cohosting culturally specific events with community organizations, the garden becomes a shared space for identity, celebration, and belonging, because inclusive, community-led programming increases trust and sustained public participation.
  • Decolonizing Environmental Education
    methodology: decolonizing-education
    By integrating Indigenous, African diasporic, and Latinx knowledge systems into horticultural programming, the organization challenges colonial frameworks in environmental science and expands public understanding of stewardship, because diverse epistemologies enrich ecological literacy and promote inclusion.
  • Plant-Based Stewardship Model
    methodology: plant-based environmental education
    By connecting people to the wonder and power of plants through expert-led tours, native species displays, and taxonomic education, the organization cultivates scientific curiosity and environmental responsibility, because direct engagement with living collections builds foundational ecological literacy.
  • Relational Ecology Through Art and Experience
    methodology: relational-ecology
    By using artistic installations and hands-on, peer-facilitated learning, the organization fosters kinship with nature, because experiential and emotionally resonant engagement produces deeper stewardship behaviors than informational displays alone.