Your support for the Friends of the Rutgers Gardens fund helps preserve and maintain the gardens in ecologically sound ways and benefits the Horticulture and Landscape Management student internships.
Support
Giving Opportunities
Rutgers Gardens welcomes contributions to support our work planting trees, shrubs, and perennials with ecological benefits; maintaining our cultivated gardens and natural areas; supporting campus and community food security; and providing educational opportunities to Rutgers students through the Summer Internship Program.
We invite you to explore our gift funds so you can choose the impact you wish to make with your donation.
Gifts to the Rutgers Gardens Student Farm fund provide experiential learning opportunities for student interns participating in the full seed-to-market experience in small-scale organic farming.
When you donate to the Helyar Woods and Natural Areas Support Fund, you’re supporting conservation and management of the natural areas at Rutgers Gardens, including Helyar Woods, a key experiential learning site for Rutgers students.
Other Ways to Make an Impact
Become a Member
Rutgers Gardens members form a special community of supporters who are passionate about the plant collections, display gardens, natural areas, and unique features found within these 180 acres.
Sponsor a Tree
Sponsor an existing tree to honor a loved one or commemorate a special occasion and help support the continued care of these ecologically and educationally vital plants with your gift.
Trees may be sponsored by one donor at a time for a period of five (5) years. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $500, with higher contributions requested for larger and more mature trees in the collection.
Each sponsorship includes a staked commemorative plaque installed at the base of the tree by a Rutgers Gardens staff member. The plaque will feature the common and scientific names of the tree, the tribute's name, and can include up to four additional lines of text, with space constraints in mind. You may visit the tree any time during our seasonal operating hours.
Donors can opt to have their sponsored tree and a short tribute to their loved one featured in our monthly e-newsletter, Friends of Rutgers Gardens.
The Budding Beds Program
Each spring, a special fundraising program invites all to honor someone you love with the gift of a Budding Bed at Rutgers Gardens that will bloom all summer.
Your gift supports Rutgers Gardens while providing 10 feet of breathtaking annual flowers in the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden during the 2026 season. The flower bed will be marked with a special plaque acknowledging both you and your honoree, and you can visit it any time when Rutgers Gardens is open. At the end of the bloom season, Rutgers Gardens will give you the plaque to keep.
All proceeds raised through the Budding Beds program will help to grow and enhance the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden and Rutgers Gardens, delighting the public and providing food for our hundreds of summer butterflies and other pollinators.
Make a Special Gift
Gifts of all sizes play a critical role in supporting Rutgers Gardens. You can make an impact through current cash gifts, deferred or planned gifts, gifts of stock or securities, and noncash gifts. The Rutgers University Foundation is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization. Gifts made to support Rutgers Gardens are tax deductible.
Many companies and foundations sponsor matching gift programs for their employees’ philanthropic interests. These companies may be willing to double or even triple the value of charitable gifts made by employees or their spouses. In these instances, you will be recognized for the full amount of your gift, plus any employer match.
To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please search the Foundation's matching gifts database.
Rutgers employees can make charitable contributions to the university by payroll deduction. For more information and to access the Rutgers Payroll Deduction form, please visit the Rutgers Foundation webpage.
Volunteer with Us
Donating your time to help the Rutgers Gardens horticulture and sustainable agriculture teams is always appreciated!
Rutgers Gardens welcomes volunteers at multiple sites that our teams manage, including the 130-acre botanic garden off Ryders Lane, the Rutgers Gardens Student Farm, and the Healthy Harvest urban farm and community garden in New Brunswick.
Rutgers University students can access special volunteer outings to help maintain ornamental gardens on the George H. Cook campus and assist with greenhouse projects.
If you have questions about these programs or ways you can support Rutgers Gardens, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Contact Senior Program Coordinator Moira Keihm at moira.keihm@rutgers.edu when you're ready to get started!
