Tribute Gifts | The Morton Arboretum

Celebrate loved ones, treasured moments, or significant milestones in your life while furthering the Arboretum’s vision of a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people and trees thrive together.

Honorary Gifts (and Gifts in Lieu of Flowers)

When establishing The Morton Arboretum as a designated charity to honor a loved one, please reach out to the tribute gift specialist to request a list of individuals who gave a philanthropic gift. Gift amounts are not shared.

Suggested language for a celebration of life, obituary, or other celebratory event is as follows: “In lieu of flowers or other gifts, honorary donations to The Morton Arboretum are appreciated and can be made through its Tribute Gift Donation page.

To make an individual tribute gift honoring someone special choose the option “Donation for Honoree” and note the honoree’s full name at the prompt. Give a tribute gift online.

Honorary gifts are fully tax-deductible. Donors to The Morton Arboretum will receive an individual acknowledgment for their gift(s).

Tribute Dedications

Support the Arboretum’s mission and deepen your connection to the Arboretum’s collections and landscape with a unique tribute dedication—of a bridge, bench, tree, brick, or book. Please contact the tribute gift specialist for dedication specifics and how to complete a one-time tribute gift.

To ensure the Arboretum honors donor intent, we request the arrangement of any collective or “crowdfunded” support for a tribute dedication be completed individually, and in advance of the one-time gift.

Select one of the unique tribute dedication options to learn more:

Tribute bridges
Tribute benches
Tribute trees
Tribute bricks
Tribute books

Individual tribute donors of a dedicated tree, bench, or bridge receive a one-year complimentary membership.

Tribute dedications are subject to review and approval by Arboretum staff.

Revisions to tribute dedications on established tribute items (tree, bench or bridge) may be arranged with the tribute gift specialist for an additional fee.

Dedicated tribute gifts are fully tax-deductible. Donors to The Morton Arboretum receive an individual acknowledgment for their gift(s).

Sustainability and the Environment

The Arboretum maintains a carefully monitored ecosystem and does not allow for human or animal ashes to be distributed on its grounds. Personal items attached to trees and plants, or left on the grounds, are impermissible and will be removed.

Tribute Bridges

Dedicated bridges feature customized plaques and reserve naming rights for 10 years.

Nameplate dedications may hold up to six lines with 50 characters per line. The Arboretum provides a limited number of complimentary replica dedication tags.

Bridges are subject to availability. Only established bridge locations are available for dedication.

Contact the Arboretum’s tribute gift specialist to discuss bridge terms and levels of charitable support for:

Drive-able bridge dedication
Weathering steel bridge dedication
Wood bridge dedication

Tribute Benches

With the support of Arboretum staff, select an established bench on our grounds for dedication. Only established bench locations are available for dedication and are subject to availability.

Tribute benches feature customized plaques and reserve naming rights for 10 years.

The condition of the bench is assessed at the time of the dedication, and the type of bench is determined by its location on the grounds and by Arboretum staff.

Personalized inscriptions may hold up to four lines with 35 characters per line. The Arboretum provides a limited number of complimentary replica dedication tags. Additional replicas may be requested for a fee.

Bench dedication of 10 years: $10,000

Tribute Trees

With the support of Arboretum experts, select a tree for dedication from our Natural Areas or from the Arboretum’s Landscape Collections for Science and Conservation.

Tribute trees are dedicated for the natural lifespan of the tree, which can vary based on the tree species, age and environmental conditions. Should a tree fail within a specified period of time the Arboretum will work with the donor to select a replacement tree.

Only viable and healthy trees are dedicated. New trees and tree plantings are not available for dedication. We ask that donors make a tree selection, in consultation with the tribute gift specialist, within one year of fully funding their dedication.

Personalized inscriptions may hold up to five lines with 25 characters per line. The Arboretum provides a limited number of complimentary replica dedication tags. Additional replicas may be requested for a fee.

With the support of Arboretum experts, select a tree from the following options:

Natural Areas: $2,500

Natural area trees include native trees naturally growing on our grounds. Today, the goal for the Arboretum’s natural areas is to recover healthy populations of native plant and animal communities on the land and to foster as much native biodiversity as possible. At the Arboretum, more than 900 acres are managed as natural areas.

Arboretum Landscape Collections for Science and Conservation: $5,000

The Arboretum’s tree and plant landscape collections are a significant resource for scientific research worldwide. Arboretum staff collect, document, study, and care for these plants to work toward solutions to the key challenges facing trees today. Trees in this category are accessioned by Arboretum experts who study and follow the tree’s lifespan.

Learn more about the Arboretum’s important collections research.

Tribute Bricks

Tribute bricks are available for dedication in two areas: the Tribute Walkway, located in the forecourt of the Visitor Center, or Celebration Circle, located at the entrance to the Children’s Garden.

Engraved tribute bricks are installed twice a year, in spring and fall.

Brick orders for the spring 2026 installation must be placed by Friday, March 27, 2026. Bricks will be installed in late May.

Bricks are guaranteed for the lifespan of the walkway and remain the property of the Arboretum. Brick placement is determined by Arboretum staff. Due to the integrity of the tribute walkways, once a brick is placed it remains there permanently for the lifespan of the walkway.

When placing a brick order, please provide the honoree’s full name when prompted. In the notes section provide the three lines (for a 4” x 8” brick), or the six lines (for an 8” x 8” brick) of inscription, including the honoree’s name, if desired. Each line may contain up to thirteen (13) total characters, including letters, spaces, and punctuation.

Tribute Walkway Bricks

8” X 8” Brick: $1,000 (six lines maximum, 13 characters per line)

4” X 8” Brick: $600 (three lines maximum, 13 characters per line)

Celebration Circle Bricks

4” X 8” Brick: $600 (three lines maximum, 13 characters per line)

Tribute Books

The collections of the Sterling Morton Library are devoted to the literature of botany and horticulture, and also include botanical art, natural history, and children’s books.

Select a book from the library collections in consultation with the tribute gift specialist and the Sterling Morton Library collections manager. Personalized dedications may hold up to five lines, 25 characters per line, including the honoree and donor names, if applicable. Books are dedicated for the life of the collection and remain the property of the Arboretum.

Library Book Dedication: $250