Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (FMG) opened to the public in April 1995. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the 158-acre campus includes the five-story, 15,000-square-foot, Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. This facility houses Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory and includes rock landscapes, a waterfall, and a variety of exotic plant selections from around the world.  The outdoor gardens feature four-season plantings, the Wege Nature Trail that winds through a forested section, and the Frey Boardwalk that introduces visitors to the natural wetlands. The sculpture program includes a permanent sculpture collection featuring nearly 300 works and a sculpture gallery. The greatest collection of work is featured in the 30-acre sculpture park.  In the Summer of 2023, the organization commissioned GVSU to estimate the economic impact of FMG.  

This study estimates the FMG economic impact based on visitor spending, FMG operational spending, and FMG capital investment spending. In calculating the economic impact of FMG, only “new” spending that is directly or indirectly caused by FMG is included. To accomplish this, visitors are categorized into distinct groups: primary visitors and casual visitors.  A primary visitor is one who traveled to Grand Rapids to visit FMG.  A casual visitor was in Kent County for other reasons and visited FMG during their stay.

The preferred method for calculating economic impact is to focus solely on those who claimed FMG was their primary reason for visiting Grand Rapids.  These visitors include locals (Kent County) and nonlocals. 

There were 272,000 primary visitors during the fiscal year 2023, with 55% coming from outside Kent County.  These primary visitors spent $20.9 million during their trip to FMG, with 84% coming from nonlocal visitors.  This spending generated a total economic impact of $30.6 million in economic activity and support for 268 jobs. 

Casual visitors were in Grand Rapids for reasons other than visiting FMG. Thus, it is possible their spending would have occurred in the absence of their visit to FMG. What is unknown is whether these visitors spent more than they normally would because of their visit to FMG. Therefore, these visitors are included in the economic impact supported by FMG.

There were 483,459 casual visitors to FMG during the fiscal year 2023, with 55% of those visitors coming from outside Kent County. These casual visitors spent $40.8 million during their visits to FMG, with 86% coming from nonlocal visitors. This spending generated $59.6 million in economic output and support for 518 jobs. It is unknown how much of this spending occurred because of FMG. Therefore, these figures should be used with caution.

The operational spending of FMG, in addition to visitor spending, is included in the calculation of the economic impact.  FMG operational spending totaled $29.6 million during fiscal year 2022 (latest figures available).  After adjustments, this spending generated $35.7 million in economic activity and support for 301 jobs.

In September 2017, FMG started a $115 million capital expansion project named “Honoring a Legacy of Love” that included several new buildings, totaling over 100,000 sq, and extensive renovations to the 158-acre campus. This project was completed in 2022.

Due to the year-to-year volatility in capital investment spending, this analysis will use a three-year annual average. Over the past three years, FMG has invested $30 million in the gardens. This results in a three-year annual average of $10 million. It should be noted, the economic impact of construction spending only occurs during the construction phase of the project. The impact figures could fluctuate if the amount of capital investment increases or decreases. A summary of the total annual economic impact of FMG is presented in Table 1.¹

¹The economic impact is estimated using the IMPLAN model.

The increase in economic activity also produces additional tax revenue at the local and state levels. The IMPLAN economic model estimates these fiscal impacts. The tax at the county and sub-county levels is included in property taxes. At the state level, most of the tax is sales tax.  The total annual fiscal impact is presented in Table 2.³

³The fiscal impact is estimated using the IMPLAN model.

In summary, FMG generates $138 million in economic activity and supports 1,167 jobs in Kent County. This economic activity generates $353,000 in additional tax revenue for Kent County.  This measure of FMG’s economic impact does not capture the long-run economic, societal, and cultural impacts. These impacts can include:

• New visitors to the Grand Rapids area that may return in the future given their positive experience while visiting FMG
• Community engagement events that bring people together
• Education and learning opportunities for children and adults
• Promotion of inclusivity and diversity
• Enhancement of well-being
• Promotion of creativity and expression

 In May 2023, a panel of experts nominated FMG for USA Today’s Readers’ Choice 10 Best award. In June 2023, it was announced that FMG was named the No. 1 sculpture park in the U.S. This award further solidifies the park’s position as a must-visit destination for art and nature lovers.