How Do We Use Your Gifts?
Your generous support helps to make the world a bit better and more beautiful because you have lived in it. Inspired by Edward W. Bok’s gift of the gardens as a place of sanctuary and repose for the people of America, Bok Tower Gardens endeavors to cultivate a place for arts, culture, and nature that work in harmony to improve the lives of the people who visit.
Through philanthropic support, the Gardens:
- Cares for and cultivates historic landscape gardens designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., designated as a National Historic Landmark due to their significance to the history of the United States.
- Protects and preserves plant species endemic to Florida, serving as a seed bank and living collection of plant material to assure their survival. The Gardens also protects native wildlife and migratory birds with lands managed to provide healthy habitat.
- Presents world-class carillon concerts and programs designed to “awaken the senses to the beautiful,” as described by Edward Bok.
- Inspires the imagination of children and adults through field trips, workshops, lectures, events, and opportunities to experience the unexpected and grow through the beauty of nature and the arts.
As a donor through a thoughtful charitable gift arrangement, you create a legacy of inspiring others to embrace and celebrate beauty and making the world a bit better and more beautiful because you have lived in it.
Your legacy can live on through a designated gift to the General Endowment Fund or a specific project or program that is meaningful to you.
Bok Tower Gardens Endowment
Unless otherwise directed, bequests to Bok Tower Gardens benefit the Gardens’ General Endowment Fund—a portion of which supports the Gardens’ annual operating needs. A professional investment advisor manages the Endowment Fund in consultation with the Bok Tower Gardens Board of Directors. The investment and spending policies for the Endowed Fund ensure that the Fund will continue to support the Gardens in perpetuity.
The Board manages gifts of $500,000 or more designated to create an endowed fund for a specific program, position, or project similarly.
Program Specific Designations
Some donors prefer to support a specific project or program with a bequest gift. They restrict their gifts to fund immediate needs or endowed for the long-term needs of the program. As the Gardens evolves and needs arise, it is important to discuss your desired restriction with us and to document your wishes for an alternative use.
For immediate needs, consider a gift to support:
- Land acquisition, restoration, and management to help maintain the natural lands Olmsted treasured as the ideal setting of his landscape design.
- Educational programming, including field trips and other experiential learning opportunities.
- Training and continuing education for Gardens’ staff, helping to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow while serving the Gardens of today.
- Preservation and maintenance of historic assets and facilities such as the Singing Tower, Reflection Pond, and the Exedra.
- Interpretation, exhibits, and tours designed to inspire visitors of all ages.
- Technology to support the Gardens’ operations and simplify visitor interaction.
Creating Your Legacy
What is your dream for Bok Tower Gardens? Contact the Department of Philanthropy & Membership to imagine the possibilities and plan your legacy at Philanthropy@BokTowerGardens.org or (863) 734-1213.
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