2026-02-02T07:58:51-06:00 2025-09-30 251408703 SCHNEIDER DOWNS & CO INC ONE PPG PLACE SUITE 1700 PITTSBURGH PA 15222 990 2024-10-01 251648405 Pittsburgh Botanic Garden PITT 4124444464 799 Pinkerton Run Road Pittsburgh PA 15071 Robert S Mermelstein Chief Financial Officer 4124444464 2026-01-28 1 0 Sarah R Piot P01358891 4122613644 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Keith Kaiser 799 Pinkerton Run Road Pittsburgh PA 15071 4101568 0 X www.PittsburghBotanicGarden.org X 1991 PA Pittsburgh Botanic Garden inspires people to value plants, garden design and the natural world by cultivating plant collections of the Allegheny Plateau and temperate regions, creating display gardens, conducting educational programs and conserving the environment. 35 35 53 48 209851 13508 1405926 1672047 366066 978759 47087 52954 884447 1068477 2703526 3772237 0 0 0 0 1911549 2007968 0 0 143001 2065445 2172915 3976994 4180883 -1273468 -408646 20219320 19895506 990206 1075038 19229114 18820468 X Pittsburgh Botanic Garden inspires people to value plants, garden design and the natural world by cultivating plant collections of the Allegheny Plateau and temperate regions, creating display gardens, conducting educational programs and conserving the environment. 0 0 1726805 930401 Visitor Experience: Through its facilities, gardens and woodlands, and programs, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden strives to increase the number of individuals exposed to the natural beauty of the Allegheny Plateau region. The Garden's mission is grounded in the belief that connecting with plants is fundamentally important to the emotional and physical well-being of all people.** See Continuation on Schedule O **What started as a dream in 1988 was made a reality through the dedication of many volunteers and staff. These visionaries had to conduct land reclamation, manage acid mine drainage, renovate building, construct new facilities and raise donations ultimately leading to April 1, 2015, when this public garden opened for the community. Throughout 2025, the Garden celebrated 10 years of welcoming visitors along with a multitude of milestones, including:- Admission was 18,000 in 2015 and 92,000 in 2024 and on track for 100,000 during 2025- Nature-based field trip program grew from 4 in the first year to more than 40 annually- Since Inception The Garden hosted 576 weddings attended by nearly 73,000 guests who were able to enjoy the gardens- Membership households grew from 881 to more than 4,000.Year-round highlights for visitors include these garden features: Garden of the Five Senses - This garden encourages children of all ages and abilities to touch, hear, smell, taste and see the natural world around them. Filled with hands-on activities for exploration, this is the garden for families to learn and connect with nature. You also will find the Discovery Cart, filled with constantly changing artifacts to spark curiosity in young minds. The Weisbrod Learning Pavilion provides an outdoor space for school field trips and drop-in programs for visitors.Hillside Pollinator Garden - Colorful, all-season blooms invite you and pollinators to visit this gently sloping hillside. The swaths of cultivars of native perennials burst each season to take center stage. Stroll along or take a moment on GB's Overlook to view a pollinator at work. Welcome Center -- This 7,500-square-foot facility, which opened in 2021, greets visitors entering the gardens and woodlands and transports them to a place of exploration, wonder, and learning. The Welcome Center is home to the Welcome Desk, Forage & Finds, Canopy Cafe, Peirce Education Rooms and Courtyard Garden, and the Zappala Woodland Room. Its Art Gallery features rotating local artists year-round. 1123773 Horticulture: Pittsburgh Botanic Garden inspires people to value plants, garden design and the natural world by cultivating plant collections of the Allegheny Plateau and temperate regions, creating display gardens, conducting educational programs and conserving the environment. The Garden is a qualified caretaker of 460 acres of southwest Pennsylvania's land and water. Dedicated staff and volunteers create and maintain this space as a habitat for native flora and fauna. ** See Continuation on Schedule O **In addition to ongoing conservation efforts such as mitigating acid mine drainage and reforestation projects, the Garden provides 65 acres of cultivated gardens and woodlands for the public to connect to plants. Through this innate experience: young minds are engaged, gardeners are inspired, and all visitors find a sense of calm.Central to the story of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is the poor condition of the site upon which it is being built. Left in a deplorable state following coal extraction throughout the first half of the 20th Century, the land was unfit for most uses and even dangerous in spots. Further damage was caused by flooding of the mines beneath the surface in 2004, which exposed a severe acid mine drainage problem. The land and water are being reclaimed and repaired. Abandoned mine features, invasive species and poor site conditions are being replaced by educational gardens, reconstructed woodlands, and lovely views. The Garden is providing long-term benefits, including carbon capture, superior soil conservation and lasting habitat improvement.A few conservation highlights since beginning its land and water reclamation efforts in 2014: - In 2025, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden conducted the first prescribed burn in Allegheny County. This was part of the Garden's integrated approach to either weakening or ultimately eliminating the presence of Lespedeza cuneata, a non-native plant that negatively influences local biodiversity. - Participates in the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Wild Plant Sanctuary Program. - 15,000 native saplings were planted to reforest an abandoned mine site. The Garden collaborated with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, United States Office of Surface Mining and Plant Five for Life. - With no chemical treatments or energy inputs, and minimal maintenance, water once considered 'dead' now supports a healthy aquatic ecosystem. The Garden operates three passive, water filter systems which neutralize more than 25 million gallons of acid mine discharge each year, prior to it entering the region's watershed and then the Ohio River. - The first innovative filter system to be installed creates the Garden's Lotus Pond, a focal point of the Japanese Garden. The Garden was recognized for this system as the recipient of the 2014 Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. - The Garden's work in mitigating acid mine drainage is recognized by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining as a national model and has since been duplicated elsewhere. 382950 48358 Education: With education a cornerstone of its mission, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is able to use its restoration of former coal mining land as a living laboratory for adults and children to engage in environmental stewardship and develop a conservation mindset.Exposure to nature in a beautiful and safe environment through guidance of mentors helps foster connection with the natural world. In an era of increased time spent indoors, children and young adults need an opportunity to connect with nature for their personal growth and to develop the stewardship behaviors that will contribute to a healthier, more sustainable and just future.** See Continuation on Schedule O **The education programming at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is a mix of formal classes and self-discovery opportunities throughout the gardens and woodlands. Adult classes and workshops are held on a wide range of topics for beginner and experienced gardeners as well as ways to connect to plants in a variety of ways, such as through photography and art programs. Children and families learn together while exploring the gardens and woodlands through self-discovery and the assistance of interpretive signage or a stop by the Discovery Cart. The Garden education team partners with regional school districts to host curriculum-based field trips. Students are exposed to Science Technology Engineering Agriculture/Art and Mathematics (STEAM) in a unique environment that cannot be duplicated in a classroom. 3233528 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 1 53 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 35 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 PA X X Robert Mermelstein 4124444464 799 Pinkerton Run Road Pittsburgh PA 15071 Michael Hatcher Chair 5.00 X X 0 0 0 Terri Fitzpatrick Vice Chair 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Brenna Wist Treasurer 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Susan Al Secretary 3.00 X X 0 0 0 Thomas Beaudoin Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Jeanne B Berdick Director 3.00 X 0 0 0 Christopher Blass Director (Exited 12/24) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Zoe Bunnell Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Robert Burns Director 2.00 X 0 0 0 Bonita A Cersosimo Director 2.00 X 0 0 0 Basil Cox Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Patrick Cozzens Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Nelson Craige Director 3.00 X 0 0 0 Amanda D'Amico Director 4.00 X 0 0 0 Tom Doran Director (Entered 3/25) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Susan Edwards Director 4.00 X 0 0 0 Beverlynn Elliot Director 4.00 X 0 0 0 Diana Froats Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Carl Grande Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Malcolm Handelsman Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Stephanie A Hickton Director 4.00 X 0 0 0 William J Kolano Director 2.00 X 0 0 0 John Kraus Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Brian Kuczinski Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 John Mazur Director 3.00 X 0 0 0 Patrick McCoy Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Mark Miko Director (Exited 12/24) 2.00 X 0 0 0 Jill S Porter-Scott Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Stacey Reiback Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Elie Saad Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Stevan Schott Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Caitlin Seiler Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Marianne Shiwarski Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 David Thor Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Saurabh Tripathi Director (Exited 12/24) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Shirley Weinstein Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kendra White Director 1.00 X 0 0 0 Robert Wild Director (Exited 12/24) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Nancy Zapalla Director 5.00 X 0 0 0 Keith Kaiser Executive Director 40.00 X 135627 0 451 Robert Mermelstein Chief Financial Officer 40.00 X 63191 0 30322 198818 0 30773 1 0 0 0 Poetic Kinetics 12060 Woodlake Rd Elbert CO 80106 Traveling Art Installation 157700 Print Management LLC 800 Vinial St Suite B210 Pittsburgh PA 15212 Signage 103977 2 283814 41480 82500 1264253 1672047 Community Event Income 900099 523278 523278 Admissions 900099 407123 407123 Education Programs 900099 48358 48358 978759 26315 26315 639235 5108 634127 634127 634127 26922 283 26639 26639 26639 129578 41480 80156 49422 49422 600568 243784 356784 209851 146933 OTHER INCOME 900099 28144 28144 28144 3772237 978759 209851 911580 224518 109243 72382 42893 1566058 1386285 163487 16286 70605 65646 2278 2681 146787 123126 18782 4879 38466 38466 273001 64226 208775 185971 153257 12165 20549 325292 140919 171581 12792 158160 148398 7451 2311 776788 764190 8048 4550 97478 6328 90147 1003 Garden Costs 138362 138362 Education 95225 95225 Cafe Operations 37623 37623 Events 35634 700 34934 10915 10792 123 4180883 3233528 804354 143001 381111 592886 562803 751798 241750 113573 6562 0 94422 93156 17461 17882 23147838 4921936 18887924 18225902 27287 100309 20219320 19895506 342575 300751 497631 624287 150000 150000 990206 1075038 X 18457959 18004526 771155 815942 19229114 18820468 20219320 19895506 -408646 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 2112288 2242697 1512467 1405926 1672047 8945425 2112288 2242697 1512467 1405926 1672047 8945425 1097600 7847825 554297 721284 420435 654400 665550 3015966 42490 45386 259273 347149 3627 4763 4534 24145 28144 65213 12373753 3472221 0.63420 0.73830 X Part II, Short Year Explanation: In Tax Year 2023, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden switched from calendar year to fiscal year ending September 30. A short year return was filed for fiscal year ending September 30, 2023. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 61500 28000 10825 100325 26000 35000 500 61500 26000 26000 1.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0 0 1249732 1249732 12864339 2026407 10837932 8312388 2691721 5620667 328551 185158 143393 392828 18650 374178 18225902 X 4101408 123 329048 329171 3772237 0 3772237 4510054 123 329048 329171 4180883 0 4180883 Part V, Line 4: The Garden's endowment consists of cash and future investment funds established primarily to support the organization's mission. As required by generally accepted accounting principles, net assets associated with endowment funds, including funds designated by the Garden to function as endowments, are classified and reported based on the existence or absence of donor-imposed restrictions. The Board makes the final determination as to investment funds to be distributed each year from the Garden's permanently restricted endowment funds, as well as specific uses for such distributions in accordance with donor restrictions, if any. This is done in accordance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Act 141. The Garden has adopted a total return investment policy for purposes of determining the spending rate. As required by Act 141, the spending rate is limited to a range of 2-7% annually. The spending policy of the fund is to pay amounts approved by the Board. The distribution of funds may be taken from both current income and appreciation. Restricted investment funds must be handled in accordance with donor's instructions. The distribution is paid as determined annually by the Board, with advice from the Finance & Audit Committee. Principal can be used to the extent income falls short of target. The distribution amount is based on the three-year rolling average value of the permanently restricted endowment portfolio and will not exceed 7.0% annually. The Board approves the distributions annually. During the initial three years of the endowment, there will be no distribution to the Garden from the endowment. The first distribution can be made at the end of the initial three-year period. Part X, Line 2: The Garden is a not-for-profit organization as described in Section 501(c)(3)of the Internal Revenue Code and is exempt from federal and state income taxes on trade or business profits generated by activities related to the Garden's exempt function. The Garden may be subject to federal and state income taxes for profits generated from trade or business activities unrelated to the Garden's exempt function.The Garden has processes presently in place to ensure the maintenance of its tax-exempt status, identify and report unrelated business income, and determine its filing and tax obligations in jurisdictions for which it has nexus.As of September 30, 2025 and 2024, the Gardenhas not generated significant unrelated business taxable income. The Garden recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is "more likely than not" that the tax position would be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based upon the technical merits of the position. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihoodof being realized upon examination. Interest andpenalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are classified as income tax expense. Generally, the Garden is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state, and local or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2022. Part XI, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Rental Expenses 5,108. Cost of Goods Sold 243,784. Fundraising Expenses 80,156. Part XII, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Rental Expenses 5,108. Cost of Goods Sold 243,784. Fundraising Expenses 80,156. Blossom 171058 41480 129578 35577 1400 43179 171058 41480 129578 35577 1400 43179 80156 49422 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The draft Form 990 is reviewed in detail by Pittsburgh Botanic Garden's Chief Financial Officer prior to being reviewed by the Audit Committee. After the draft Form 990 has been reviewed by the Committee, the Committee makes the recommendation for the full Board of Directors to approve the Form 990 prior to filing. The full Board of Directors is provided with a copy of the form prior to filing. After approval by the Board of Directors, the Form 990 is electronically filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c A written conflict of interest policy was established in 2011. Board members and employees must complete and sign a conflict of interest form annually. The Board Development Committee tracks the responses to ensure 100% participation and reviews any disclosures for items that would require action. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 The salary for the Executive Director is reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Other Officer salaries are reviewed by Human Resources. Evaluation of compensation levels for non-profits in the marketplace is used as comparable data when establishing compensation for all officers. The deliberations are documented in the meeting minutes and/or the personnel files. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 The Garden makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to any interested parties upon request.