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Missouri Botanical Garden Board of Trustees

EIN 43-0666759 · Saint Louis, MO

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO DISCOVER AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN ORDER TO PRESERVE AND ENRICH LIFE.

Income
$75.3 million
Spending
$59.5 million
Spent on programs
78%
Reserves
7.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 75%
Employees
570
Volunteers
1,680
Highest pay
$548,723, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 77% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 2% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 21% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 36% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    78% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (environment, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    33 of 33 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $16.0 million spent. HORTICULTURE: THE GARDEN'S HORTICULTURE PROGRAM DEVELOPS PLANT COLLECTIONS AND MAINTAINS LANDSCAPES FOR DISPLAY, HOME GARDENING DEMONSTRATIONS AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION, AND IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH AND EX-SITU CONSERVATION. . THE GARDEN'S SEED BANK, LOCATED AT SHAW NATURE RESERVE, HOLDS 35 PERCENT OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI'S NATIVE FLORA. OUR PLANT COLLECTIONS INCLUDED 17,511 TAXA AND 8,903 SPECIES. THE GARDEN'S 79 ACRES FEATURE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR PLANT DISPLAYS THAT ATTRACTED 1,074,815 VISITORS IN 2024. HOME GARDENERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD REGULARLY USE THE GARDEN'S ON-SITE AND DIGITAL RESOURCES. THERE WERE MORE THAN 6.2 MILLION VIEWS OF GARDENING WEB RESOURCES IN 2024.
  2. $15.3 million spent. SCIENCE: THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN IS A WORLD LEADER IN PLANT DISCOVERY AND PLANT CONSERVATION AROUND THE WORLD. IN 2024 GARDEN SCIENTISTS ONCE AGAIN DISCOVERED ROUGHLY 200 NEW PLANT SPECIES, WHICH IS ROUGHLY 10 PERCENT OF ALL NEW PLANTS DISCOVERED EACH YEAR WORLDWIDE. OUR HERBARIUM, WITH 8 MILLION SPECIMENS, IS AMONG THE LARGEST AND SERVES AS A GLOBAL DATABASE OF PLANTS USED TO MAKE EVALUATIONS ON CONSERVATION STATUS. BY KNOWING WHAT PLANTS ARE THREATENED, WE CAN IDENTIFY AREAS OF HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE WHERE PROTECTING LANDSCAPES MAY SAVE THREATENED SPECIES. THE GARDEN ALSO CONTINUES TO ADD ITS TROPICOS DATABASE, AND WORKS WITH PARTNERS AROUND THE GLOBE TO DIGITALLY DOCUMENT ALL KNOWN PLANT LIFE THROUGH WORLD FLORA ONLINE.
  3. $6.3 million spent. EDUCATION: THE GARDEN TAKES SERIOUSLY ITS MISSION TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PLANTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. IN 2024 1312,485 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES LED BY THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, FROM COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS TO ON-SITE AND VIRTUAL CLASSES AND EVENTS TO YEAR-LONG PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS. OF THIS NUMBER, 29,770 WERE PREK-GRADE 12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WHO CONNECTED WITH THE GARDEN IN WAYS THAT DEEPENED THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION FOR PLANTS, NATURE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING SUSTAINABLY. IN THE COMMUNITY, THE GARDEN IS A LEADER IN EDUCATING AND ACTIVATING THE PUBLIC TO STEWARD LOCAL LANDS AND WATERS, FROM CREATING MORE BIODIVERSE HOME LANDSCAPES TO HELPING STEWARD LOCAL PARKS, TRAILS, CREEKS, STREAMS, AND OTHER GREEN SPACE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.
  4. $8.6 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMS: 1)PUBLIC EVENTS SUCH AS THE BEST OF MISSOURI MARKET. THE BEST OF MISSOURI MARKET IS PART OF THE AMERICAN ARTS EXPERIENCE ST. LOUIS, AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS THROUGHOUT THE ST. LOUIS AREA. 2) BUTTERFLY HOUSE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1995 TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE NATURAL HABITAT IN WHICH BUTTERFLIES THRIVE. 3) FACILITY RENTALS: THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN IS AN IDEAL SETTING FOR CORPORATE EVENTS, PRIVATE PARTIES, AND WEDDINGS. THE 79 ACRES OF BEAUTIFUL HORTICULTURAL DISPLAY PROVIDES AN OASIS IN THE CITY FOR ALL GUESTS TO ENJOY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 1937.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.