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Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation

Helping to secure the future of the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation Victoria (RBG Foundation) is a not-for-profit organisation established in May 2001 by Founding Patron, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE.

Vision

Providing long-term financial security and funding to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Purpose

The purpose of the Foundation is to build a secure, long-term financial base from which to support the Royal Botanic Gardens. Foundation income is derived from the managed investment of generous donations from the Gardens' supporters, including Director's Circle, Wills and Bequests and In Memoriam gifts.

Project funding

Each year, the Foundation distributes a percentage of the income earned on invested funds to support priority activities and projects within the Royal Botanic Gardens. Recent examples include:

Funding a hydrographical survey of the Ornamental Lake to determine its holding capacity and silt depth, providing vital information for future water-use planning, and particularly the capture and storage of stormwater.
Support for Hidden in Plain View – the Forgotten Flora, the Royal Botanic Gardens' first touring exhibition.
Funding the purchase of a high-resolution digital camera to enable National Herbarium of Victoria staff to digitise plant specimens from the Herbarium collection.

Governance

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees within a company limited by guarantee. The Foundation has been granted income tax exempt fund (ITEF) status by the Australian Taxation Office and has been endorsed as a deductible gift recipient (DGR) (item 2) as an ancillary fund.