OUR MISSION
Enriching lives through plants and nature.
roughout four decades, generations of South Texas families have relied on the Garden’s beauty to inspire and teach a lasting respect and love of plants. Nowhere else in San Antonio or South Texas can visitors explore, experience, and enjoy such a biologically diverse collection of plants in an outdoor living and learning environment spanning 38-acres. is year, in 2024, visitation is on track to surpass 400,000 annual visitors, and membership is at an all time high with 13,000 member households.
Your contribution creates meaningful community connections:
• e Garden had more than 960 educational programs in 2023, and in 2024 Q1 61% of 21,000 students visiting the Garden came from Title I Schools.
• e Garden is a living museum of plants and a nationally recognized center for botanic research and conservation of rare and endangered native plants. e Garden now grows and propagates more rare and endangered plants than any other public garden in Texas.
• Visitors nd wellness exploring plants and nature, learning healthy food and cooking, and experiencing strengthening movement and exercise.
• e Garden showcases world-class, blockbuster art and nature exhibitions by celebrate artists.
A GARDEN FOR ALL
Becoming a National Model for Access
We are deeply committed to supporting our access and inclusion programs for those in our community who are underserved, and in response, we have developed our newest initiative, Garden for All. rough this initiative the Garden ensures underserved individuals across the South-Central Texas region can experience the many bene ts of the Garden—nature, education, health, beauty, and culture—without exclusion due to lack of nances, physical ability, or transportation.
The following are examples of programs that are contributing to the Garden’s three-year goal to bring 50,000 people or more to the Garden annually through access programming by year-end 2026.
SHUTTLE ACCESS PROGRAM
In summer 2024, the Garden hired a new bilingual community access coordinator to partner with other community non-pro ts to schedule groups of visitors to participate in events, classes, walks, etc. All individuals travel in a Garden shuttle and admissions are free. We are the only cultural organization in San Antonio and the state with this program, and the program will draw 3100 people to the Garden by year end.
MUSEUMS FOR ALL ADMISSIONS
Reduced admissions of $3 per person (from the average admission cost of $15). We anticipate serving 11,500 adults, children, and families who demonstrate a need. is is a 15% participation increase over 2023.
COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIPS
Enables those that express a need to purchase a $20 annual membership (reduced from our $95 Dual Membership). Bene ts include daily admissions for two adults and up to 10 children/grandchildren with free activities, events, and exhibitions. In the rst year of this membership, we have more than 400 member households. We anticipate 700 Community Memberships by the close of 2025. We are the only cultural institution in San Antonio o ering this type of membership.
TITLE 1 SCHOOL STUDENTS
Title 1 students are another group of underserved individuals participating in our access programs with free admissions. Because our education sta provides excellent TEKS- and STEM-based learning opportunities, our programs are highly sought after by educators for their students. In 2024, nearly 25,000 students will tour the Garden, more than half from Title One schools.
With the Garden for All Initiative, we are creating a model program for access that we will be pleased to share locally and nationally with interested cultural institutions with the ultimate goal to create a national model so that other organizations can create access programs that respond to their particular community needs.
Below are examples of just a few of the organizations who have already committed to multiple visits and scheduling discussions and who will help us create a model that first and foremost serves our community.
• SJRD St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (Children and Families affected by trauma, abuse, and neglect)
• San Antonio Parks and Recreation
• For Her (Women recovering from poverty, trauma, and sexual abuse)
• The Arc of San Antonio
• Safer Path Family Violence Shelter
• Pre-K 4 SA
• Blue Star Connect Outdoors (Children from Blue Star Families)
• Big Brother Big Sisters
• YMCA of Greater San Antonio
Garden for All is an ambitious initiative, but the need for underserved community members to experience our beautiful Garden, exhibitions, and educational programs is tremendous, and according to San Antonio’s 2024 Status on Poverty report, the need has never been greater. With 18% of San Antonians living below the poverty level for the last decade, catastrophic financial struggles continue for so many.
CONSERVATION
We are proud that among all Texas public gardens, the Botanical Garden is the most active and proli c seed and plant collectors for the conservation and propagation of native plants classi ed as threatened, endangered, and rare. e SABG conservation team travels 40,000+ miles across Texas annually, collecting rare and endangered native plants to help ensure their survival and maintain the healthy balance of our regional lands and ecosystems. We currently have 95+ rare Texas species in our care and on view in our collections, which demonstrates to our 400,000 visitors the importance of sustaining plants, natural resources, open lands, and wildlife.
Our goal is to become a national leader in plant conservation for Central and South Texas by providing:
• Native plant biodiversity through our wild-collected plant materials, which is critical for conservation, research, education, and display.
• Sta travel across thousands of miles of Texas and neighboring regions to open lands and private ranches, surveying and collecting rare plants and seed materials.
• e 30+ lectures and tours annually native plants at the Garden and national conferences.
• “Engineering A Healthy Ecosystem” classes for the 3,000+ 4-12 graders served annually. “Engineering A Healthy Ecosystem” classes for the 3,000+ 4-12 graders served annually.
• Growing and propagating more rare and endangered plants than any other public garden in Texas.
• Continuous adult education Conservation programs with classes such as: Native Plants in the Garden, Sustainable Gardening, Rainscaping and Rain Gardens, Pocket Prairies, and more.
• Detailed native plant list and landscape designs that can be accessed through QR codes on WaterSaver Community signage or on our website. All information is printable, providing wonderful ideas for students, homeowners, landscape professionals, etc.
Demonstrating our significant role in conservation and sustainability among conservation organizations, we are currently seeking additional recognition for a nationally accredited plant collection through the American Public Garden Association for our Woody Fabaceae species of native Mesquite, Mountain Laurels, and Red Buds.
Our second accredited collection is the oaks of Texas. We have collected all the oak species of West Texas to include the endangered Quercus tardifolia or Late-leaf Oak. Additionally, we are pioneering a milkweed collection. We are the only public garden in the nation that is creating this collection, which is vitally
FREE DAYS
Free Days at the Garden provide opportunities for everyone to enjoy the Garden with free admissions courtesy of sponsorship support. ese events are most often held on Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. through 2:00 P.M. giving working parents an opportunity to enjoy the Garden as a family. In July 2024, the Garden hosted a free day for a record of 7,300 visitors. Free Days are often inspired by themes related to calendar events/holidays or focus on a botanical/nature theme. Our sta transforms the Garden with activity stations to make crafts, ideas for seasonal plantings, recipes from our culinary garden, and music. ere are activities for people of all ages and abilities.
PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LEVELS
$100,000
• “Presented By” listing with logo on all program related materials and communications, including, but not limited to, sabot.org, banners, eBlasts (reach of over 55,000 subscribers), and more
• Dedicated press release announcing presenting sponsorship and included in all press materials including exhibition release and media alerts
• One dedicated social media post recognizing sponsorship commitment to 148,000+ followers across three networks
• Tabling opportunities with pop-up signage on mutually agreed upon dates
• Logo in Vibrante Member Magazine Ad
• Invitations for ten guests to VIP events for one year
• One anytime facility rental of The Betty Kelso Center AND two anytime facility rentals of alternate locations (excluding staffing fees) ($21,000 max value)
• One-year Hibiscus Circle level membership in The Perennials giving circle ($5,000 value)
• Private Garden tour for ten with the Garden President & CEO
• Opportunity to schedule a corporate volunteer engagement at the Garden
• Opportunity to brand giveaway items for Opening Weekend
• 100 guest passes
• 15% Discount Membership opportunities for company employees
$50,000
• Logo on select marketing materials and communications, such as, sabot.org, and eBlasts (reach of over 55,000 subscribers)
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition social media post to 148,000+ followers across three networks
• Tabling opportunities with pop-up signage during exhibition run on mutually agreed upon dates
• Invitations for six guests to VIP events for one year
• One week day facility rental of The Betty Kelso OR two anytime facility rentals of alternate locations (excluding staffing fees) ($10,000 max value)
• Private Garden tour for ten with Garden President & CEO
• Logo in Vibrante member magazine and listing in the annual report
• One-year Esperanza Circle level membership in The Perennials giving circle ($2,500 value)
• Opportunity to schedule a corporate volunteer engagement at the Garden
• 50 guest passes
• 15% Discount Membership opportunities for company employees
$25,000
• Logo on select marketing materials and communications, such as, sabot.org, and eBlasts (reach of over 55,000 subscribers)
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition social media post to 148,000+ followers across three networks
• Tabling opportunities with pop-up signage during exhibition run on mutually agreed upon dates
• Listing in Vibrante member magazine and the annual report
• One-year Lantana Circle level membership in The Perennials giving circle ($1,200 value)
• Opportunity to schedule a corporate volunteer engagement at the Garden
• 25 guest passes
• 15% Discount Membership opportunities for company employees
$10,000
• Logo on select marketing materials and communications, such as, sabot.org, and eBlasts (reach of over 55,000 subscribers)
• Inclusion in sponsor recognition social media post to 148,000+ followers across three networks
• Tabling opportunities with pop-up signage during exhibition run on mutually agreed upon dates
• Listing in Vibrante member magazine and the annual report
• Invitations for two guests to VIP events for one year
• Ten guest passes
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!
Please contact Development Officer of Individual Giving Gabrielle Zamora-Everett at 210.536.1339 or geverett@sabot.org for more information.