San Diego CA | IRS ruling year: 1990 | EIN: 95-4271785
An EIN is a unique nine-digit number that identifies a business for tax purposes.
An EIN is a unique nine-digit number that identifies a business for tax purposes.
Organization Mission
THE VISION OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION seeks to cure hereditary childhood blindness and other vision disorders and to improve the lives of visually impaired individuals a ... (More)
Rating Information
Not currently rated
Ratings are calculated from one or more beacon scores. Currently, we require either an Accountability & Finance beacon or an Impact & Measurement beacon to be eligible for a Charity Navigator rating. Note: The absence of a rating does not indicate a positive or negative assessment; it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated this organization.
See rating report below to learn why this organization is not currently eligible.
Historical Ratings
Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Measurement. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The Vision of Children cannot currently be evaluated by our Accountability & Finance methodology due to only having 3 years of electronically-filed IRS Form 990 data.
To ensure year-to-year consistency the Encompass Rating System's Accountability & Finance beacon analyzes the three-year average of some data provided through the IRS 990.
Charity Navigator currently only has 3 years of consecutive e-filed Forms 990 from the IRS for The Vision of Children under the EIN: 95-4271785.
Before Charity Navigator can evaluate The Vision of Children, The Vision of Children will need to e-file for additional fiscal years.
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Click or hover over the bar to see exact $ amount
Salary of Key Persons - Data Available
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Samuel A Hardage, Ceo & Chairman
$0
Elizabeth Dole, Honorary Co-chair
$0
Debora B Farber Phd, Chief Scientific Advisor
$0
Richard Alan Lewis Md Ms, Scientific Advisor
$0
Daniel W Gil Phd, Director
$0
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2023
IRS Published Data (Business Master File) - Data Available
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
Data Sources (IRS Forms 990) - Data Available
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage accountability and finance data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (The Vision of Children) or EIN (954271785) in the 'Search Term' field.
Impact & Measurement
Score
97
This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
The Measuring Outcomes assessment evaluates how well a charity tracks progress towards its mission's outcomes.
Displayed below are the responses provided by the charity for the Measuring Outcomes assessment. Each question is designed to address specific criteria, with responses eligible for full, partial, or no credit. Please refer to the scoring rubric for details on how responses are scored.
Selected program: The Vision of Children Foundation is dedicated to the eradication of childhood hereditary blindness, Submitted November 2024
Program Planning and Design
25 out of 28 points
This section assesses the use of crucial evaluation tools in program objective-setting and activities.
Charity leadership uses information collected to make decisions regarding programs
Agree, uses information collected to improve programs
Charity has shared understanding across staff of how programs lead to the goals a program achieves
Agree, has universal understanding of how programs achieve goals
Charity has documents and reviews how program activities lead to change
Agree, documents and reviews
Charity has researched program model before implementation in the following ways
Referred to the practices of similar nonprofits
Referred to the practices of government programs
Referred to relevant private-sector practices
Assessed ethical and legal compliance
Charity revisits how program activities lead to change
Agree, does revisit how program activities lead to change
Charity tracks program progress in the following ways
Tracks outcomes and impacts
Tracks using timelines and milestones
Aligns plan with mission
Program Development
25 out of 25 points
This section assesses the consideration of stakeholders in program objectives and activities.
Charity identifies program target population needs in the following ways
Discussions or surveys with target population on how program activities best serve their needs
Discussions with local community groups, including local government or other community leaders
Discussions with local nonprofits on their programs
Does not identify program target population
Charity considers practical, cultural, and political needs and interests of those served by program
Agree, charity is responsive to practical, cultural, and political needs
Charity uses SMART Goals
Agree, identified Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART) goals
Data Collection and Analysis
19 out of 19 points
This section assesses the best practices used in collecting and analyzing program data.
Charity tracks program information in the following ways
Collects data before a program is initiated
Collects data during program implementation
Collects data when a program is complete
Charity collects programmatic information on those served by the program in the following ways
Identifies the number of those served by program
Collects demographic data of those served by program
Identifies the number of those successfully served by the program
Collects information about the quality of service from the target population
Charity assesses program effectiveness at multiple points in time
Agree, collects information before and after a program is implemented
Reporting and Distribution of Results
19 out of 19 points
This section assesses reporting and disseminating program results.
Charity reports program results to key stakeholders
Reports results to stakeholders
Charity reports both favorable and unfavorable results
Yes, charity reports both favorable of unfavorable results
Use of Results
9 out of 9 points
This section assesses the use of results to guide learning.
Charity uses program results to inform future work for the following reasons
Sustain and secure funding
Inform strategic planning
Improve program operations
Understand the impact of their work
Inform how we create future programs
Culture & Community
Score
100
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Does your organization collect feedback (i.e., perceptions, opinions, concerns) from the people meant to ultimately benefit from your mission?
Yes
Feedback Usage
100 out of 100 points
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations
To inform the development of new programs/projects
To identify where we are less inclusive across demographic groups
To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
This organization collects feedback in other ways
To understand client needs and how we can help them achieve their desired outcomes
Practices
100 out of 100 points
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible
We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us
We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.)
We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.)
We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response
We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
Challenges
100 out of 100 points
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Equity Strategies™
100 out of 100 points
67% of Culture & Community score
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Equity Strategies™ - Number of Data, Policies & Processes
100 out of 100 points
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 14 Equity Practices.
The metric is based on the elements of the Equity Strategies™ checklist, developed by Equity in the Center™.
Leadership & Adaptability
Score
100
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission.
THE VISION OF CHILDREN FOUNDATION seeks to cure hereditary childhood blindness and other vision disorders and to improve the lives of visually impaired individuals and their families.
Vision Statement
10 out of 10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's vision.
A world where every child has the gift of sight.
Strategic Goals
20 out of 20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: We fund researchers who are trying to cure hereditary vision disorders.
Goal Two: We have set up a family support network to aid in supporting families and individuals effected by hereditary vision disorders.
Goal Three: We provide iPads and magnifiers to children with low vision to help them achieve their full potential.
Leadership
30 out of 30 points
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Investment in Leadership Development
15 out of 15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development.
The Vision of Children encourages the team to continue their development and education in fundraising and nonprofit skills related to VOC's mission. Leadership development includes taking webinars on relevant topics, including special event best practices, donor stewardship, time management, seminars, and science conferences on current and relevant topics.
Over the last 12-18 months, the VOC team has attended approximately 8 webinars relevant to VOC's mission.
External Focus on Mobilizing Mission
15 out of 15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Collaborative Engagement
Thought Leadership
Social Promotion
Adaptability
30 out of 30 points
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Adaptability Statement
30 out of 30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Please review the narrative below for the Adaptability section on Charity Navigator. Let me know if any edits are needed.
Vision of Children resumed hosting in-person events in August 2021 as the world reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization held its annual spring tea in the following year and continued its biennial concert in the fall of 2023.
During 2023, VOC raised much-needed funds through individual gifts, grants, and two successful fundraising events - a spring tea and a fall concert. The funds raised will be used for critical vision research to advance the quest for cures for hereditary childhood blindness and genetic vision disorders.
To keep costs down, Vision of Children traditionally employs a small staff of 2-3 part-time personnel throughout the year. However, during the event season, they ramp up staff hours and hire temporary part-time personnel to meet the demands of planning, coordinating, and executing fundraising events.
For the fundraising events, the development team increased their hours to full-time and hired a temporary staff member to assist with the fall concert. At the end of 2023, VOC leadership decided to bring the temporary staff on as permanent team members, even though the event schedule would not be as vigorous during the 2024 year. All four team members were kept on, and their roles were further defined so that VOC could focus on recruiting researchers and projects while increasing their fundraising efforts throughout 2024.
VOC relies on its Advisory Board, consisting of more than 20 members from the Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, and Del Mar communities, to drive its fundraising efforts. These passionate and influential women are the driving force behind the success of our in-person fundraising events. Every year, VOC leadership recruits new members to maintain a fresh perspective and keep the momentum going.