Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jan 1970.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
17 people listed on the 990; $194K paid to officers and key staff.
Michelle Conklin’s $207K as CEO/Presiden is at the 85th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M environment nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Conklin | $206,942 | $171,991 | $138,142 | $148,723 | $129,083 | $123,650 |
| Lynn Richards | $94,909 | $82,828 | $80,009 | $69,590 | $69,116 | $70,478 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
- Loans to or from officersSch L · Pt II1 listed
Programs and updates
Connects people with plants and nature through art, science, history, and culture.
Questions for Tucson Botanical Gardens
Your first name shows with your question. Tucson Botanical Gardens answers here, for everyone.
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Garden plant collections and exhibits tucson botanical gardens (TBG) has consistently been awarded best garden in tucson and is known and respected throughout the country. TBG'S collection exceeds 7,000 plants and attracts 150,000 guests a year.
Educational and outreach programs TBG offers classes, workshops & lectures to people of all ages, abilities & backgrounds. Over 12,000 children participate in youth programs and guided tours. TBG'S horticultural therapy program (HTP) works with over 1,300 people with disabilities through both outreach and on-site programs.
Special exhibits fall 2019, gallery shows included the art of kyle johnston, rachael ivanyi, lightart, and a collection of south american paintings from the manabu saito estate. TBG featured a self-developed institutional wide exhibit on roberto burle marx: brazilian landscape architect, conservationist and collector.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $604K | $957K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $135K | $152K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $3.6M | $3.9M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $4.6M | $5.3M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $387K | $776K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $4.2M | $4.5M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $216K | $106K | $83K | $27K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $663K | $554K | $98K | $10K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $52K | $30K | $20K | $2K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $70K | $54K | $14K | $3K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $24K | $24K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $70K | $70K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $89K | $83K | $6K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $45K | $33K | $12K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $111K | $73K | $15K | $23K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $132K | $127K | $3K | $2K |
| TravelLn 17 | $4K | $3K | $697 | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $9K | $5K | $3K | $1K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $133K | $116K | $14K | $4K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $33K | $27K | $4K | $923 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $242K | $228K | $6K | $8K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $48K | $43K | $1K | $3K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.9M | $1.5M | $306K | $153K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $6.2M | $3.8M | $2.5M | $11.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $3.9M | $3.2M | $687K | $8.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $3.7M | $2.7M | $959K | $7.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $3.5M | $2.2M | $1.3M | $6.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.7M | $1.7M | $988K | $5.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $2.3M | $1.9M | $309K | $4.5M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,251,805 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 15 of 15 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,251,805 across 11 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,943,281 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $5,292,667 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $4,516,430 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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