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The San Antonio Botanical Garden is defending its public funding after becoming part of ongoing City of San Antonio budget discussions, saying the city's investment supports programs that extend far beyond maintaining the 39-acre attraction.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has proposed eliminating the Garden's annual city subsidy as officials work to close a projected $158 million budget shortfall. During a recent city council budget meeting, Jones questioned continued public support for organizations that generate their own revenue.
"We're reducing our funding from $1.2 million to $1 million. They charge a ticket fee. They have an event called 'Bubbles and Blooms.' They'll be okay. If you charge a ticket fee, then you can figure it out. And so, I would like to see that go to zero. $1.2 million to zero. If we're talking about cutting nutrition centers, we're not going to fund the botanical gardens," Jones said.
Garden leaders said they anticipated reductions in city support but not the elimination of funding.
"We understand that there's going to be cuts. It's more the nature of that being a cut versus going down to zero. That assumption was not on the table," said San Antonio Botanical Garden President and CEO Katherine Trumble.
The proposed budget currently recommends reducing the Garden's funding by $200,000, although city budget discussions will continue through the summer before a final budget is adopted.
The Botanical Garden has operated as a nonprofit since 2019, when it transitioned from city management. According to Trumble, city support has steadily declined as part of a long-term sustainability plan.
"When we privatized where the city support was almost 30% of our budget, this year it's 7%, so it's a process towards sustainability, and that's always been the plan with the city, but it's something that is done thoughtfully over time," she said.
Garden officials argue the city's $1.2 million investment helps fund accessibility and educational programs that admission revenue alone cannot support. Last year, the Garden welcomed a record 430,000 visitors, up from about 170,000 before the nonprofit transition.
Trumble said the Garden expects to serve more people than ever in the nonprofit’s history through its accessibility initiatives this year.
"This year we're bringing 50,000 people through access programs, which is the most in our 46-year history. We want to be able to continue to build and grow on that for San Antonio."
According to the Garden, city funding helps support reduced-cost admission through Museums for All and community memberships, transportation for visitors through its Nature Navigator shuttle, free access passes distributed to organizations including Pre-K 4 SA and disABILITYsa, student field trips, nutrition and wellness programming, and services for people living with dementia and aphasia.
Since becoming a nonprofit, annual student visits have increased from about 10,000 to 32,000, with 61% of students served coming from Title I schools. Participation in the Garden's reduced-cost Museums for All program has also grown from fewer than 900 participants in its first year to nearly 4,900 this year.
City leaders are expected to continue budget deliberations over the next 90 days before adopting a final spending plan in September.
“Strong cultural institutions help drive business to community, and strong cultural institutions like the Botanical Garden are at the heart of community and provide that space for wellness, for conversations about nutrition, conversations about connecting with nature. Our mission at the Botanical Garden is enriching lives through plants and nature, and we're proud to do that for more than 430,000 people each year,” said Trumble.
