American Board of Ophthalmology

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231693176
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone
6106641175
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,227,791
Expenses
$6,571,467
Assets
$13,553,703
Liabilities
$1,669,102

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GEORGE B BARTLEY MD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • BETH ANN COMBER (COO/SECRETARY/TREASURER): $340,847 total reported compensation
  • MEGHAN MCGOWAN MS (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS): $282,381 total reported compensation
  • SARAH SCHNABEL PHD (DIRECTOR OF ASSESSMENTS/PS): $268,982 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

See schedule o

What it reported doing in 2025

Board certification: since 1916, the abo has held 248 exams and certified 34,204 ophthalmologists who have voluntarily elected to meet the rigorous certification standards established by the american board of ophthalmology.the first medical specialty board founded in the united states, the american board of ophthalmology awards the only medical specialty certificate in ophthalmology recognized by both the american board of medical specialties (abms) and the american medical association (ama). Certification is granted to ophthalmologists who meet a series of accredited medical training requirements in ophthalmology; sign a practice pledge indicating their intent to practice with compassion, integrity, and respect for human dignity; and complete an intensive evaluation process that includes both a written qualifying examination and an oral examination. Physicians who meet all of the requirements for initial certification become diplomates of the board and earn a certificate valid for a period of 10 years. Since 1993, all diplomates who elect to retain an active certificate participate in continuing certification, which involves periodic assessments of knowledge, judgment, and skill in addition to demonstrating a commitment to practice improvement. Successful candidates are certified by the american board of ophthalmology for a period of ten years. The abo issued 449 initial certificates to ophthalmologists in 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 93% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 81.3%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.06; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 24.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84% of revenue deployed · 81.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $341K · 23 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.8M reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 22 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.