New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden reported $124.7 million in revenue and $105.1 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $78.83 went to program services, $14.03 to management and general costs and $7.14 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 60.8% of the total. Government grants made up 15.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $921,163 (CEO & The William C. Steer Sr. President). 94 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 42% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $105MFor context, the median across 371 covered environment charities: $85.82 programs, $10.80 management, $3.38 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $125MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.8% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 14.0% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 7.1% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.10 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 60.8% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 15.7% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 16.5% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $921,163 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.88% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 94 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 74.6 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 57 of 58 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHorticulture and living collections: preparation of research, maintenance of gardens and exhibits for public use and enjoyment. Public exhibitions and festivals to enhance the experience of the visiting public. The garden's living collections contain more than one million plants in 50 gardens and collections, including: the enid a. Haupt conservatory, the nation's preeminent victorian style glasshouse; the nolen greenhouses for living collections; the three and one half acre native plant garden; the eleven acre azalea garden, which includes nearly one mile of woodland paths meandering beneath…
Education and outreach development, organization, and presentation of educational courses. The garden's adult education program offers 750 classes at the Botanical Garden, online, and at the midtown education center in manhattan. Certificates are offered in eight program areas: botanical art & illustration, botany, floral design, gardening, horticultural therapy, horticulture, landscape design and urban nature. Three annual lecture programs, landscape design portfolios lecture series, winter lecture series, and andrew carnegie distinguished lecture, feature internationally recognized speakers
Plant science collecting for and maintaining the garden herbarium for public use, including research. The Botanical Garden's scientists, librarians, staff, graduate students, honorary research associates, and curators perform fieldwork and conduct cutting-edge research in plant systematics, economic botany, ecology, molecular systematics, and plant genomics
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO & The William C. Steer Sr. President Officer, 35.0 hrs/week | $839,226 | $0 | $81,937 | $921,163 |
| Chief Operating Officer Officer, 35.0 hrs/week | $456,871 | $0 | $46,720 | $503,591 |
| ARTHUR ROSS VP HORTICULTURE & LIVING Key employee, 35.0 hrs/week | $364,901 | $0 | $87,052 | $451,953 |
| GENERAL COUNSEL Officer, 35.0 hrs/week | $337,029 | $0 | $87,367 | $424,396 |
| CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 35.0 hrs/week | $361,552 | $0 | $53,820 | $415,372 |
| CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 35.0 hrs/week | $359,630 | $0 | $53,050 | $412,680 |
| CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Officer, 35.0 hrs/week | $351,300 | $0 | $53,614 | $404,914 |
| CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER Key employee, 35.0 hrs/week | $350,502 | $0 | $52,739 | $403,241 |
94 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from New York Botanical Garden (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.6M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b58 · 57 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5935
- Volunteers Part I, line 61,328
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| AKA NYC LTD Advertising / marketing exhibition | $2,298,524 |
| UPTOWN ELECTRIC INC Electrical work | $1,761,818 |
| STEVEN DUBNER LANDSCAPING INC Construction, ecag dasny | $1,447,099 |
| EW HOWELL CO LLC Construction, parking garage | $1,267,159 |
| Daedalus Design & Production Inc Design services | $776,644 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 45 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
157 private foundations reported grants to New York Botanical Garden totaling $6.8M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from New York Botanical Garden's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for New York Botanical Garden, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 New York Botanical Garden spent in FY2025, $78.83 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of New York Botanical Garden's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, New York Botanical Garden reported that 78.8% of its $105.1 million in expenses went to program services, 14.0% to management and general and 7.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does New York Botanical Garden pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation New York Botanical Garden reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $921,163, for the role of CEO & The William C. Steer Sr. President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does New York Botanical Garden get its money?
Of $124.7 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 60.8% came from contributions and grants (including 15.7% from government grants) and 16.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is New York Botanical Garden a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-1693134 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202621129349301442 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 (amended), object 202541899349300314 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202401369349306415 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202331329349300303 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202221369349306297 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202121379349302787 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-1693134: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.