Center for Plant Conservation Inc
The Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) is a public charity based in Wildomar, California, formed in 1984. It is a network of botanical gardens, arboreta, and other plant-focused organizations working to conserve imperiled plants across their native ranges in the United States, its territories, and Canada.
Center for Plant Conservation Inc at a glance
In short: Center for Plant Conservation Inc gave $534K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), top state California. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $533,862
- +46.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +8.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $19,773
- +35.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,500
- Total assets
- $11,921,362
- +9.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (6 of 27, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (43% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Center for Plant Conservation Inc
- How to Apply
-
Institutions seeking to join CPC’s Conservation Partner network may apply for consideration by the Conservation Partners Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The board considers the application and applicants are notified of their status. The fellowship application requires a cover letter, project narrative, budget and timeline, curriculum vitae, and a recommendation letter.
- Contact
Mailing address: 36068 Hidden Springs Rd C 1040, Wildomar, CA 92595
Phone: (951) 428-7208
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Center for Plant Conservation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was California Botanic Garden ($73K). Together the top 10 received $380K.
Grant Size Distribution
117 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 114 grants of 117 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CPC’s network works to conserve plants across their native ranges in the United States, its territories, and Canada. In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in California (43%), Florida (12%), Washington (8%), Georgia (7%), and Arizona (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Center for Plant Conservation Inc open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 27 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $12K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+18%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $100K (2020) to $534K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $534K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California Botanic Garden Calremont, CA | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $73,486 |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego, CA | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $61,000 |
| Ucsc Arboretum and Botanical Garden Native Plant Program Santa Cruz, CA | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $45,500 |
| University of Washington Botanic Garden Seattle, WA | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $41,000 |
| Atlanta Botanical Garden Atlanta, GA | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $36,977 |
| Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Coral Gables, FL | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $34,710 |
| The Arboretum at Flagstaff- R Flagstaff, AZ | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $26,250 |
| Portland State University Foundation Portland, OR | Plant Sponsorship Payout | $22,425 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis, MO | Plant Sponsorship Payout | $20,000 |
| BOK Tower Gardens Lake Wales, FL | Plant sponsorship payout & institution work for seed collection | $18,400 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,921,362 | $1,988,614 | $1,877,864 | $533,862 | 27 | $547,742 |
| 2024 | $10,898,816 | $1,780,438 | $1,632,817 | $364,756 | 25 | $571,654 |
| 2023 | $10,504,533 | $1,467,626 | $1,614,225 | $310,174 | 25 | $314,648 |
| 2022 | $10,451,214 | $2,581,580 | $1,491,871 | $450,615 | 24 | $332,792 |
| 2021 | $10,585,006 | $1,199,724 | $892,070 | $189,900 | 16 | $136,065 |
| 2020 | $9,136,790 | $812,545 | $770,317 | $100,000 | 11 | $203,849 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CPC’s stated mission is to safeguard and conserve imperiled native plants by advancing science-based practices, connecting and empowering plant conservationists, and inspiring people to protect biodiversity for future generations. Its work includes maintaining the National Collection through member institutions, sharing conservation data and protocols, and convening conservation professionals.
The 2025 grants show support for botanical gardens, arboreta, universities, and other organizations. For example, grantees describe their own missions as conserving New England’s native plants (Native Plant Trust), connecting people with plants, especially from the Rocky Mountain region (Denver Botanic Gardens), and supporting education and conservation at a botanical garden (North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, CPC reported 27 grants totaling $533,862. Grant amounts ranged from $5,500 to $73,486, with a median of $11,500. The largest awards included $73,486 to California Botanic Garden, $61,000 to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, $45,500 to the UCSC Arboretum and Botanical Garden Native Plant Program, and $41,000 to University of Washington Botanic Garden. The stated purposes included plant sponsorship payouts and institutional work for seed collection; some awards were listed for plant sponsorship payouts.
CPC also partners with the Garden Club of America on the Catherine H. Beattie Fellowship, which provides one annual research grant of up to $4,500 to an eligible graduate student. The fellowship supports study and conservation of rare and endangered plants, with preference for projects focused on the endangered flora of the Carolinas and southeastern United States. The published 2026 application deadline was January 31, 2026, a past deadline.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David Doyle as president and treasurer, Allison Alberts as vice president, and Barbara Millen as immediate past president. Trustees listed are Lee Clippard, Arabella Dane, Patrick Griffith, Dana Dirickson, Ruth Evans, Karyn Larkin Ries, and Thomas Lloyd-Butler.
Center for Plant Conservation Inc is led by Scott Medbury, Interim CEO since 2025 (on filings since 2020); 2 of 21 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Scott Medbury
Interim CEO
Trustee → Executive Director, 2024
Executive Director → Interim CEO, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$42K (2024) → $48K (2025)
Wesley Knapp
CEO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$122K (2025)
David Doyle
President & Treasurer
Chair → President & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Damon Waitt
Trustee
Trustee → Interim CEO & President, 2022
Interim CEO & President → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$21K (2022) → $0 (2025)
Andrew Love
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dana Dirickson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Ylvisaker
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ruth Evans
Trustee
Trustee → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stuart Clark Mitchell
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Vogt
Trustee
Trustee → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karyn Larkin Ries
Trustee
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lee Clippard
Trustee
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Janet Mayfield
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Griffith
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Loomis
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Lloyd-Butler
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Arabella Dane
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hilary Schneider
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Sears
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Allison Alberts
Vice President
Trustee → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Millen
Immediate Past President
Chair → Immediate Past President, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (22)
- Former: Alison Luckman (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Diana Fish (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Janine Luke (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Lucinda McDade (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Nancy Doyle (2020–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Spencer Crews (2020–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Carlos De La Rosa (2023) — President & CEO
- Former: Jill Koski (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Paul Redman (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Christopher Dunn (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Geraldine Bean Carroll (2020–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Joyce Maschinski (2020–2022) — CEO & President
- Former: Lindsay Marshall (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Mary Randolph Ballinger (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Clark Mitchell (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Joseph Woolston (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Lynde Uihlein (2020–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Maureen Wilmot (2020–2021) — Vice President Operations & Advancement
- Former: Jody Bush (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Mary Ann Streeter (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Shareon Blackburn (2020) — Trustee
- Former: Tom Ott (2020) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $122K, to Wesley Knapp (CEO (As of 3/31/25)). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Center for Plant Conservation Inc
How much does Center for Plant Conservation Inc give each year?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc gave $534K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $365K across 25 grants.
What is Center for Plant Conservation Inc's typical grant size?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $11,500, and its average grant was $19,773, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Center for Plant Conservation Inc that year got $13K on average.
Where does Center for Plant Conservation Inc give grants?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc's top state is California, with 43% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Florida (12%) and Washington (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Honolulu, HI (2 grants).
Does Center for Plant Conservation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on Center for Plant Conservation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Plant Sponsorship Payout" (15 grants).
Who are Center for Plant Conservation Inc's largest grantees?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include California Botanic Garden ($73,486), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance ($61,000) and Ucsc Arboretum and Botanical Garden Native Plant Program ($45,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Center for Plant Conservation Inc?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc reported $11.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.0M.
What does Center for Plant Conservation Inc fund?
CPC’s stated mission is to safeguard and conserve imperiled native plants by advancing science-based practices, connecting and empowering plant conservationists, and inspiring people to protect biodiversity for future generations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Center for Plant Conservation Inc?
Institutions seeking to join CPC’s Conservation Partner network may apply for consideration by the Conservation Partners Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Center for Plant Conservation Inc's EIN?
Center for Plant Conservation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2527116. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 25, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 29, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 25, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 31, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Center for Plant Conservation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-plant-conservation-inc-morg_1dca9f492b984bd88c803e2db606e5e1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222527116_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Center for Plant Conservation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/center-for-plant-conservation-inc-morg_1dca9f492b984bd88c803e2db606e5e1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Center for Plant Conservation Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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