Growing Through Unrestricted Giving
Diverse and abundant flora, rich history, a sense of tranquility—these are just a few of the delights that await you at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Garden welcomes more than one million visitors per year, inviting them to experience the beauty of plants, attend fun and educational events, and learn the science behind plant conservation.
Thousands of these visitors take their support of the Garden a step further by becoming members or donors. These individuals play a vital role in furthering the mission of the Garden: “To discover and share knowledge about plants and the environment in order to preserve and enrich life.”
The Missouri Botanical Garden has received more than $7.7 million in grant recommendations from St. Louis Community Foundation donors, with $4 million in support given over the past five years.
“I’m not sure where we would be without the support of the St. Louis Community Foundation and its donors,” says Patty Arnold, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “These funds are directed to everything from educational programs to our sustainability efforts.”
Many of these gifts are unrestricted, meaning that the donor chooses not to specify the way in which their gift is used. Unrestricted gifts are a powerful and important form of support because they allow the organization to use the funds wherever the need is greatest. “Unrestricted gifts provide a foundation for everything we can do at the Garden. They are particularly important for our educational programming, which connects community members to the Garden in ways that might not otherwise be possible,” says Arnold. An example of this programming is the Outdoor Youth Corps, an education and workforce development program that connects our region’s youth to environmental stewardship projects, community engagement opportunities, and potential environmental careers.
Arnold adds, “St. Louis Community Foundation fundholders are the philanthropic pillars of our community. They know the value of the Garden and the Community Foundation as institutions that anchor our region.” You can more about the Missouri Botanical Garden at www.mobot.org.
