New York · Nonprofit
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC (New York) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,734,515 to it, the largest being THE RALPH C WILSON JR FOUNDATION ($1,000,000). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $2.5M
- Funders on record
- 19
- Grants received
- $2.7M
- Net assets
- $9.0M
What Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc does
Mission
The mission of the buffalo and erie county botanical gardens society, inc. Is to deepen the connection between people and plants through beautiful gardens and extraordinary experiences.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
HORTICULTURE & PLANT COLLECTION - The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens meticulously cares for a permanent collection of approximately 5,400 plants, representing plant species from every continent. Our horticultural team also curates an additional 43,000 plants as part of their rotating and engaging plant exhibitions. Through careful stewardship, we ensure the preservation and propagation of plant species, enhancing the garden's beauty and educational value. In addition to our regular maintenance, we also introduce new plant varieties and seasonal displays, keeping the Botanical Gardens dynamic and ever-changing.
$670,245 spent35% of program spendingGUEST SERVICES - In 2025, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens welcomed over 100,000 visitors, providing an enriching full-sensory experience amidst stunning architecture and serene garden sanctuaries. As a living museum and tourist destination, we generate 50% of our operating budget through admissions and internal events. Our guest services team ensures every visitor enjoys a memorable and inspiring journey through our indoor and outdoor gardens and exhibits. We also offer tailored experiences for different visitor groups, including guided tours, special events, and interactive activities. Our commitment to exceptional guest service creates a welcoming atmosphere that encourages repeat visits and strong community engagement.
$421,423 spent$1,123,540 earned by the program22% of program spendingEDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS - The Botanical Gardens hosted over 14,000 students and adults in 2025, offering a wide range of educational programs designed to foster a love for nature and horticulture. Our programs, tailored for all ages, emphasize interactive learning and environmental stewardship. By connecting learners with the natural world, we cultivate future generations of environmental advocates and informed citizens. In addition to our on-site programs, we provide outreach initiatives that extend our educational impact into the community. Our partnerships with schools and local organizations further enhance our ability to deliver impactful and inclusive educational experiences.
$317,484 spent$83,391 earned by the program17% of program spendingExpenses include private events and membership since those expenses are included in program expenses even though private events is unrelated income so excluded from income and membership is included in line 1b so not program related income. Revenue is the related income from Gift shop and any other miscellaneous income.
$490,272 spent$206,557 earned by the program26% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,899,424.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2017 to 2018, from $2.8M to $4.9M (+73%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 7% · 2018 5% · 2019 7% · 2020 16% · 2021 13% · 2022 7% · 2023 12% · 2024 14%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
30% of BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (88% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Erin Grajek
CEO/President
Board chair
Tisha Luciani
Director/chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 7 funders, grant income rose $2k → $115k.
9 of 19 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 24% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 37% of grant income and the top three 73%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 79% · 2019 48% · 2020 43% · 2021 54% · 2022 62% · 2023 46% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
50% of BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 58% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
52% of BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC's grant income comes from New York funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $648k arriving through sponsors registered in 8 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC's funding base is broadening — from 1 funders to 7 as grant income climbed.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 2,187 environment nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In New York
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
78% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
95%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC?
- BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC (New York) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,734,515 to it, the largest being THE RALPH C WILSON JR FOUNDATION ($1,000,000). 11 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC have?
- IRS filings report 19 organizations giving $2,734,515 in grants to BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC, 11 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC?
- THE RALPH C WILSON JR FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $1,000,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS SOCIETY INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in New York. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 19 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing