"A society grows great when [people] plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Betty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine GardensBetty Ford Alpine Gardens
"A society grows great when [people] plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Your gift supports the beauty of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and the conservation, education and research to further this mission.
Your gift brings world-class exhibits to life. You fund the future interest in horticulture and education science by supporting our internship program. You inspire families and young people to create a curiosity in nature that lasts a lifetime.
Your gift today empowers the Gardens to continue the mission of conserving alpine plants and fragile mountain environments.
Gardens' Annual Budget: $1.7 million.
Together, we grow.
Sponsorship Project | Sponsorship Amount ($) |
Children’s Summer Activities | 1500 |
Project FeederWatch | 1500 |
Betty’s Market Children’s Garden Sponsor | 2000 |
Chefs in the Gardens Summer Series Sponsor | 5000 |
Greenhouse Winter Program Support | 5000 |
Member Breakfast Sponsorship | 7500 |
Alpine Toolshed Upgrades | 10,000 |
Garden Soiree Gold Sponsor | 10,000 |
Wild Winter Discovery Program | 15,000 |
Summer Volunteer Program Sponsor | 15,000 |
Dinosaurs Among Us Exhibit Bronze Sponsor | 20,000 |
Dinosaurs Among Us Exhibit Silver Sponsor | 30,000 |
Main Entrance Garden – Saxifrage Tufa Rock | 30,000 |
Ecosystem Geology Project & Interpretation | 40,000 |
Helen Fritch Endowment Matching Challenge | 45,000 |
Dinosaurs Among Us Exhibit Gold Sponsor | 50,000 |
Gardens Master Planning Project | 80,000 |
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens has determined that a geology exhibit will help us tell another part of the story of this mountain ecosystem.
The mountains of the Vail Valley tell the story of over 1 billion years of earth’s history. Continents drifted, recording evidence of the first bacteria to present-day plants and animals in the surrounding rocks. Explore one of the few places on earth where so much time and history is right before our eyes. The Vail in Deep Time outdoor exhibit will illustrate five significant rock formations and the plants and animals that flourished when they were laid down.
Did you know that there is scientific evidence that high elevations are warming faster than the rest of the planet?
We are America’s highest botanical gardens. But we are much more than the pretty pathways and colorful flowers for which most people know us. Started in 1986, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens has transformed into a platform to educate people about and protect one of the earth’s most forbidding ecosystems: the Alpine. The vitality of Alpine plants is a barometer for the vitality of the natural world. Their fragility and resilience expresses the precarious situation of all living things in this moment.
Working nationally and globally towards this effort, the Gardens are leading North America’s first formal strategy for banking and conserving the DNA of alpine plant species. We are looking at the intersection of plant populations and climate change and studying rare plants in their wild habitats.
With over 200,000 visitors a year, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail’s Ford Park provides a beautiful place to interact up-close with these remarkable plants and discover more about the mountain environments we care about. The Gardens are free and open to the public.
Will you join us in this mission and donate to the Gardens?
The following projects are in need of funding in 2024. Read further down this page for information on some of these funding opportunities.
If you are interested in sponsoring a project, please email our Development Director, Melissa Ebone or contact her by phone at 970-476-0103 x5.
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens brings dynamic and changing exhibits to the summer Vail experience each year. This education series will be supported by a Science Elevated Speaker and Workshop Series in addition to family activities and interactive ways for visitors to discover the Gardens.
Sponsorship Levels
Bronze Sponsor – $20,000
Silver Sponsor – $30,000
Gold Sponsor – $50,000
Four years ago, Jeanne Fritch, Nancy Fritch and Leslie Chapman created the Helen Fritch Endowment Fund and Matching Challenge. In honor of their mother, our founder Helen Fritch they committed to support the forever future of the Gardens.
Current Available Match: $45,000
This fund supports education, gardens and conservation.
Thank you to all who have contributed.
With more and more pressure on the environment, the need to educate people about the importance of plants and our beautiful mountain home is paramount. The Gardens is holding one of the most important collections of alpine flora in the world and is leading a national action plan to protect North American’s alpine flora.
There are multiple ways you can support the Gardens with your estate planning.
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:
Your tax advisor can guide you on the best way to take care of your family and the mission of the charities you hold dear. 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.
Our Tax ID # is 74-2395097
*If you have made a plan for the Gardens in your estate plans, we would love to know. We want to be able to celebrate with you and understand your goals and intentions to make sure your wishes happen.
There are a few special projects that can be sponsored and named each year. We look for individuals to underwrite these special opportunities for the community.
Contact Development Director, Melissa Ebone at 970-476-0103 ext 5 or email to explore possibilities – small or big.
Longevity, Resilience, Beauty
Endowment gifts will secure the future of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. An endowed contribution is permanently invested, and only a portion of the earnings is withdrawn. The principal is never spent. Endowment gifts ensure the legacy of the Gardens for future generations. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens has an actively managed investment portfolio to ensure that our investments are protected and allowed to grow.
The Gardens draw a 4.5% distribution annually.
Your gift supports all the beauty you witness when you walk through Betty Ford Alpine Gardens AND the conservation and education research that happens each week to further this mission.
Currently – $4,000,000
Endowment Goal – $13,000,000
The Endowment Fund at this level will fund the current operations of the Gardens in perpetuity.
Contact the Gardens directly to discuss.
Aid in continuing to expand geographic collections, update the gardens, and education facilities.
Benches and tribute projects are available. One bench currently exists.
Choose a specific project to sponsor. Summer exhibits, garden supplies, internships and more.
For the nature-lover in your life, the person who cares about conservation or that person that you really want to give a gift that says I care about what you care about. You can purchase a year-long membership that connects them with the nature cause they love.