$13,712 raised by 88 donors
69% complete
$20,000 Goal
Friends of The Gardens on Spring Creek is the non-profit partner of the Gardens on Spring Creek. Our mission is to cultivate a world-class botanic garden through fundraising and advocacy. The Gardens mission is to enrich the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture. Together, we hold a shared vision of curating a world-class botanic garden that is community-oriented, educational, experiential and sustainable.
Since 2020, The Gardens has been busy growing into our new, larger space by adding impactful education, horticulture and community programming. 2023 saw the launch of our first-ever paid internship program, our first free day Latine Heritage Celebration (which drew 853 people to The Gardens) and our third-ever temporary art installation.
As we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, we see a growing need for our equity and access program, Gardens for All, as well as an increased demand for innovation and diversified learning opportunities. Your donation enables us to enhance our current offerings and develop new engaging programming, while simultaneously broadening our footprint in the community.
Between our membership program and Colorado Gives Day, Friends of The Gardens has donated more than $500,000 in the past three years to support Gardens programming! We thank you for joining us on our mission to cultivate a world-class botanic garden and look forward to seeing you soon at the Gardens on Spring Creek!
The mission of the Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek is to cultivate a world-class botanic garden through fundraising and advocacy.
The mission of the Gardens on Spring Creek is to improve the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture.
The idea to build a community horticulture center in Fort Collins was conceived by Jim Clark in 1987, after a visit to Cheyenne Botanic Garden in Wyoming. Shortly thereafter, a team of citizens formed a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to creating a botanic center modeled after the public/private partnership between the Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Garden Foundation Board and the City of Cheyenne.
As an intermediary step to creating a botanic garden, the non-profit group lobbied City Council to create a community horticulture program that was responsible for garden projects around the community. In 1995, City Council voted to fund a position responsible for creating the horticulture program.
Due to the success of that program and the continued efforts of the non-profit organization, funding for the creation of a community horticulture center was placed on the ballot as part of Building Community Choices (BCC). In 1997, Fort Collins voters enthusiastically supported BCC with 71 percent voting in favor of the proposal. $2 million was appropriated to create what is now the Gardens on Spring Creek.
Once initial funding was secured, the next step was to identify a location. Several sites across Fort Collins were considered. This site, in the Spring Creek corridor, was selected for its centrally located 18 acres. The Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF), a not-for-profit organization, owned the land originally. In a land-swap deal, the City of Fort Collins traded what is now the Annual Flower Trial Gardens at College and Lake for our site. The City also paid an additional sum for the land.
With a location now secure, the next step was to create a Master Plan for the site and identify a name. After much public input and a lengthy design process, the Master Plan, designed by local firm EDAW was unveiled in 2000. A new name — The Gardens on Spring Creek — was created. The non-profit board then changed its name to the Friends of The Gardens on Spring Creek.
Since then, The Gardens has completed its Master Plan and now welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually. We are a botanical oasis in your own backyard! To learn more, please visit www.fcgov.com/gardens.
Organization name
Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek
other names
GOSC
2001
Tax id (EIN)
84-1081365
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
2145 Centre AvenueLarimer County, CO, US