Morton Arboretum: $45.1M Revenue, $52.2M Expenses

Morton Arboretum pulls a D on the efficiency rubric. The composite of 38/100 reflects below-median performance on the bundle of factors — typically driven by thin operating reserves, volatile revenue, or outsized officer compensation relative to organizational size.

Morton Arboretum reported $45.1M in 2023 revenue — a mid-sized nonprofit by U.S. standards. Organizations in this bracket typically operate with a small permanent staff, project-based program structures, and modest reserves. On the financial-health factor, Morton Arboretum runs thin — assets relative to annual spending fall below the cushion nonprofit-finance experts typically recommend.

Revenue has grown meaningfully across the five-year filing history — a sign of expanding donor base, new grants, or scaling programs. Morton Arboretum reported $45.1M in 2023, up notably from the start of the window. Officer compensation is on the higher side of the band typical for nonprofits this size: $2.6M in total current-officer compensation against $45.1M in revenue. Not necessarily inappropriate — large healthcare systems and university systems often pay competitively with for-profit equivalents — but worth reading in context. Morton Arboretum works in Environment & Animals — environmental, conservation, animal-welfare, and natural-resources programs. The sector spans large international conservation groups and small local land trusts; the financial profile varies accordingly.