Charities United States Environment Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden logo

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

To maintain for public use, a botanical and zoological garden; to preserve and study native hawaiian and exotic flora and fauna in a natural garden setting.

Environment Papaikou, HI EIN 990185842 · IRS Sign up to see website
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71
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
71/100 · methodology

About Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

HTBG is a thriving nonprofit botanical garden, with paved trails that wind through 17 acres touching the ocean. We're dedicated to tropical plants, education, preservation of the rainforest, and the propagation of endangered species.

Founded
Headquarters
Papaikou, HI
Foundation type
Supporting organization (509(a)(3))
NTEE code
C410
IRS subsection
501(c)(c3)
Ruling date
Size
medium

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1991

Mission

To maintain for public use, a botanical and zoological garden; to preserve and study native hawaiian and exotic flora and fauna in a natural garden setting.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
🌿 Environment · NTEE C410
Cause tags

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar environment in United States
Program spending This charity: 0%
Peer average: 0%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 16.91%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 71
Peer average: 89

Red flags

· 1 item
High Executive Pay
Top executive compensation is 20.6% of total expenses ($593,740 of $2,877,285).

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a registered environment nonprofit based in Papaikou, HI, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1978 and has been operating for 48 years. Its EIN is 990185842. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 71/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. This is below the average of 89/100 for environment charities in United States. The organization reports $4M in annual revenue. 18 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 71/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 71 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for environment charities in United States is 89/100.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located in Papaikou, HI, United States. The organization was established in 1978 and has been active for 48 years.

Based on official tax filings, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden has $4M in annual revenue. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is classified as a Environment organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $4M in annual revenue. The organization has 18 disclosed officers and directors.

GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern for Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. Red flags are automatically detected from official data and may include high executive compensation relative to budget, low program spending, or missing financial filings. Red flags do not necessarily mean wrongdoing but indicate areas that may warrant further review before donating.

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 71/100 (Strong transparency), which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

HTBG is a thriving nonprofit botanical garden, with paved trails that wind through 17 acres touching the ocean. We're dedicated to tropical plants, education, preservation of the rainforest, and the propagation of endangered species. Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is classified as a environment organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1978.

Among environment charities registered in United States: Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 71/100 is below the peer average of 89/100. Its annual revenue of $4M is comparable to the peer average of $2M.

Yes, donations to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Its EIN is 990185842, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 4 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
0% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

DE
Debara J Lutkenhouse-Frost
Executive Director

Officers & trustees (6)

Source: Public filings

BA
Barbra B••••
Director
BR
Brooks B••••
Director
DA
Dan L•••••••••• J•
EXEC.DIR/CHA
DE
Debara J L••••••••••••••••
Director
KA
Kathleen P•••••• L•••••••
Director
MA
Mary J••• G•••••••
SECRETARY
Full names, contact details & compensation

Free with an account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$3.5M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Form filed
$3.4M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
Form filed
$3.0M revenue
FY2022
IRS_990
Form filed
$2.0M revenue
FY2021
IRS_990
Form filed
$0.9M revenue
FY2020
IRS_990

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Peer charities

Other environment in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden This page 71 $3.5 million -
Friends of Casco Bay 89 $1.3 million -
Drive Clean Colorado 89 $1.3 million -
Chesapeake Climate Action Network 89 $4.0 million -
Jackson Hole Land Trust 89 $7.9 million -
Citizens for Pennsylvanias Future 89 $3.2 million -
Huron River Watershed Council 89 $5.1 million -
Climate Action Reserve 89 $5.8 million -
Alaska Conservation Foundation 89 $8.0 million -

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 18 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
May 27, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

What is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden?
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is a environment supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Papaikou, United States. HTBG is a thriving nonprofit botanical garden, with paved trails that wind through 17 acres touching the ocean. We're dedicated to tropical plants, education, preservation of the rainforest, and the propagation of endangered species.
When was Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden founded?
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was founded in 1978.
Who leads Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden?
Debara J Lutkenhouse-Frost serves as Executive Director.
Where is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden located?
Headquartered in Papaikou, United States.
What is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 0% of expenses go to program services.
Is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden trustworthy?
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 71 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden's registration number?
IRS EIN: 990185842.
What is Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden's website?
http://www.htbg.com