Blind Travel Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
873855511
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
6082866782
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Blind/Visually Impaired Centers

Reported finances

Revenue
$79,236
Expenses
$77,396
Assets
$90,442
Liabilities
$2,841

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL WALSH (PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN WALSH (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL WALSH (PRESIDENT): $24,350 total reported compensation
  • ANITA ROSALIE CHANDLER (SECRETARY): $7,200 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To provide travel grants for individual applicants who have a diagnosis of blindness, low vision, or a condiiton causing degenerative vision loss, so that the awardee may see something through travel before it is too late.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 49% for direct work, and 51% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 63
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.7%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 11
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.3%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 40.8%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 60.7% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -29.8% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.7% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 1 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $77K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $24K · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 16 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.