Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1985.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
85 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
19 people listed on the 990; $153K paid to officers and key staff.
Linda Appel Lipsius’s $153K as Executive Director is at the 66th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Appel Lipsius | $153,414 | $148,206 | $147,067 | $130,071 | $118,334 | $15,885 |
| Violeta Garcia | — | — | — | — | — | $92,162 |
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.
See Denver Urban Gardens executive salaries →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
Programs and updates
Helps people grow healthy food in communities and revitalize urban green spaces.
Questions for Denver Urban Gardens
Your first name shows with your question. Denver Urban Gardens answers here, for everyone.
Dug's education programming has been supporting urban gardeners throughout metro denver for many years. These programs are grounded in a deep respect for all people and their traditions, promote organic practices that regenerate the earth, and engage learners in a variety of ways.
Dug's community gardens include both public and private spaces, managed by a dedicated team of volunteer garden leaders and cultivated by a large network of community gardeners. Community gardens provide an excellent opportunity to grow fresh, healthy food for individuals and families.
Under the food access umbrella, dug offers three unique programs: grow a garden, culturally inclusive seeds, and community seed distribution. The grow a garden program connects individuals and community groups with seeds, seedlings, and educational resources to support growing food at home or in a dug garden.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY25 | FY24 | FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $27K | $26K | $25K |
| Given inLn 1b | $500 | $25K | |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $252 | $255 | $250 |
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $939K | $617K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $26K | $27K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $242K | $231K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.1M | $1.6M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $570K | $381K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.6M | $1.2M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $844K | $844K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $177K | $124K | $53K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.2M | $1.0M | $89K | $104K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $25K | $21K | $2K | $2K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $167K | $140K | $12K | $14K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $118K | $99K | $9K | $10K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $16K | $16K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $100K | $100K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $290K | $162K | $16K | $112K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $67K | $46K | $18K | $4K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $95K | $80K | $7K | $8K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $103K | $77K | $21K | $5K |
| TravelLn 17 | $54K | $46K | $4K | $5K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $11K | $8K | $2K | $548 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $26K | $25K | $613 | $714 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.2M | $1.1M | $25K | $14K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $4.4M | $3.8M | $375K | $279K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 10, 2026 | $4.1M | $4.4M | −$354K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Jun 10, 2025 | $4.4M | $4.6M | −$129K | $1.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2024 | $3.0M | $4.1M | −$1.1M | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2023 | $3.5M | $2.8M | $707K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2022 | $4.0M | $2.3M | $1.6M | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 15, 2021 | $1.9M | $2.2M | −$265K | −$330K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $4,093,066 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 18 of 18 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $4,093,066 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,446,764 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,587,956 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,207,212 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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