The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens reported $17.6 million in revenue and $14.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $78.31 went to program services, $12.81 to management and general costs and $8.88 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 66.9% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $509,005 (President & CEO). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 87% 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 $15MFor 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 $18MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.3% | 83.6% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 12.8% | 10.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 8.9% | 3.3% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.11 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 66.9% | 87.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.5% | 4.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 14.4% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $509,005 | $293,532 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 3.43% | 1.74% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 54.6 | 18.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 21 of 21 | 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 expenseMarie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15- acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida. The Downtown Campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. There is a significant focus…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President & CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $471,898 | $0 | $37,107 | $509,005 |
| COO & General Counsel Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $221,446 | $0 | $29,337 | $250,783 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $147,622 | $0 | $11,264 | $158,886 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,636 | $0 | $10,091 | $156,727 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $123,543 | $0 | $13,083 | $136,626 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $116,243 | $0 | $9,519 | $125,762 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $110,630 | $0 | $12,538 | $123,168 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $614K (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–1b21 · 21 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 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5100
- Volunteers Part I, line 6388
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses onlyIndividuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
51 private foundations reported grants to The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens totaling $2.0M 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 The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens spent in FY2025, $78.31 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens reported that 78.3% of its $14.9 million in expenses went to program services, 12.8% to management and general and 8.9% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $509,005, for the role of President & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens get its money?
Of $17.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 66.9% came from contributions and grants (including 0.5% from government grants) and 14.4% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 59-1848965 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), 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 202503169349302980 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202403349349300505 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202343119349301239 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202330279349300503 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202200469349300430 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202120919349301577 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 59-1848965: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.