Your support creates real impact
Conserving plants.
Inspiring futures.
From research and conservation to education and community programs-your generosity helps protect alpine plants and the planet.
Betty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine Gardens
There are many meaningful ways to support Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, whether you want to celebrate someone special, create a lasting legacy, support a particular project or plant collection, or help strengthen the Gardens for generations to come. From project sponsorships and plant collection adoptions to memorial gifts, planned giving, and contributions to the endowment, your generosity helps advance our work in alpine conservation, education, and living plant collections.
Explore the opportunities below, or contact us to discover a way of giving that is meaningful to you.
Make your support personal by sponsoring a project at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Project sponsorship provides a meaningful way to direct your generosity toward work that advances the Gardens’ mission of education, conservation, and protecting the alpine environment. Your support helps important ideas take root and creates an impact that can grow for years to come.
Check out our sponsorship list to see if you might like to fund a project in honor or memory of someone!
Help alpine plants flourish by “adopting” a plant collection at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Your support helps care for the Gardens’ living collections while advancing our mission to protect alpine environments through conservation and education. It’s a meaningful way to connect your generosity with the remarkable plants at the heart of our work
Create a lasting tribute in a place filled with beauty and meaning. Benches throughout Betty Ford Alpine Gardens may be dedicated to honor or celebrate a loved one, providing a special place for reflection while supporting the Gardens and our mission. Bench dedications are available for $25,000 for a 10-year period.
Due to the popularity of this meaningful giving opportunity, there is currently a waitlist for new bench dedications.
Families often choose to have donations made to the Gardens in lieu of flowers. These donations supports the beauty and mission of the Gardens while creating a lasting remembrance.
You can make a donation in someone’s memory using the link below. If you’d like us to notify a member of the family of your thoughtful gesture, please include the family member’s name and contact information in the comments box when you donate.
Our Development Office can create a personalized donation link for you to share with friends and family. Contact our Development Office here to request your custom link.
A living gift that blooms year after year. Give a gift that Grows. Celebrate a loved one. Mark a meaningful occasion. Honor someone’s memory.
Plant bulbs in the Gardens through this dedication program. These vibrant blooms are planted each spring and fall, adding lasting beauty to the Gardens.
As a heartfelt thank-you, your dedication will be recognized on our seasonal tribute wall in the Education Center—an enduring reminder of your generous support and the Gardens you help grow.
Bristlecone Pine Legacy Society
Leaving a gift to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in your will is the most common way that individuals ensure the work of the Gardens’ continues for the next generation.
These gifts often take the form of cash, closely held stock, real estate, appreciated securities, and tangible personal property.
Your tax advisor can guide you on the best way to take care of your family and the Gardens. Oftentimes, with strategic planning, you are able to do more with your assets because of the tax implications of different types of giving.
Our gift acceptance policy states that all undesignated gifts to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are put into capital reserve fund. If you would like to discuss different plans for your gift, please reach out and let us know.
*If you have made a plan for the Gardens in your estate plans, we invite you to share this information with us and join the Bristlecone Pine Legacy Society. We hope to celebrate this decision with you and understand your goals and intentions to make sure your wishes happen.
Endowment gifts offer a meaningful and lasting way to support Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. When you contribute to the Endowment, your gift is permanently invested, with only a portion of the earnings used each year, ensuring the principal remains untouched. This ensures that your legacy will endure, providing vital support for the Gardens for generations to come.
Gifts to the Endowment are often made through a donor’s will, allowing individuals to leave a lasting impact on a cause they care deeply about. Our Endowment is managed with care through an actively overseen investment portfolio, designed to protect and grow our assets, ensuring the Gardens thrive long into the future.
Endowment Policy: The Gardens annually withdraw up to 4.5% of the Endowment’s earnings to support our mission.
A World-Class Sanctuary, Privately Powered
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is a crown jewel of Vail, but it is often misunderstood as a public park. While we are proud to be a cornerstone of the community, we are not a municipal entity.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit that relies on private visionaries to maintain our $1.3 million annual operation. Every meticulously cared-for bloom and every piece of world-class research we conduct is funded not by taxes, but by people like you who believe that “life above the treeline” is worth protecting.
Ready to make a difference?
Maintaining the highest botanical garden in North America is an alpine feat in itself. Our annual budget ensures that this sanctuary remains free to the public, providing a world-class experience for 200,000+ visitors while leading global efforts in alpine plant conservation.
However, the misconception of municipal funding often leaves a gap in our potential. A gift of $25,000 or more is transformational here—it doesn’t just pay for “upkeep”; it secures the future of our rare seed bank and ensures that the next generation of hikers and families will find the same inspiration you do today.
We invite you to move beyond the donation box and become a Stakeholder in our mission. Whether through a personal foundation, a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), or a direct gift, your $25,000 contribution cements your role as a “Guardian of the Treeline.”
At this level, you are not just a donor; you are a partner in our independence. Your investment allows us to remain a free, world-class resource for all, ensuring the beauty of the alpine world remains as resilient as the plants we protect.
From research and conservation to education and community programs-your generosity helps protect alpine plants and the planet.
Our Tax ID # is 74-2395097