Nick Courtens Fund
DOUBLE your impact with 2x match
Double your impact! Thanks to a generous gift from The Borgen Family, gifts to the Nick Courtens fund will be doubled up to $40,000.
Goal of the Nick Courtens Fund: Honor the legacy of the late Gardens’ Curator, Nick Courtens, and the spirit of community and love for alpine plants that he shared with the world – here in the mountain community and beyond. We propose to honor this legacy by building an education fund to support knowledge of alpine plants and environmental gardening practices.
Nick’s expertise in alpine plants and deep care for the environment is evident throughout the many gardens built and expanded during his tenure. As he evolved in his 13 year career, Nick began traveling to international alpine locations to both speak and learn.
Through his travels amongst the many communities of alpine plant professionals and enthusiasts, he collected friends the way he collected knowledge. His enthusiasm and love for the community yielded friendships and relationships that lasted long beyond a speaking engagement or a visit to another Botanic Garden. These relationships strengthened the Gardens’ international reputation. These connections have allowed knowledge to be shared across continents with like-minded people wanting to protect this special ecosystem and expand its relevance even more. The fund reflects these special aspects of Nick’s life.
Intention: This fund will be used to create events for the community to support knowledge of alpine plants and environmental gardening practices and create community and connection around alpine plants – both locally and internationally.
The Nick Courtens Fund will be invested as a quasi endowment and the Gardens will plan to spend a distribution from the fund annually. If a special opportunity arises, the Gardens could choose to spend more than the distribution.
