Glaucoma Research Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942495035
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
4159863162
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Eye Diseases, Blindness & Vision Impairments Research

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,127,426
Expenses
$9,098,569
Assets
$16,545,749
Liabilities
$1,459,454

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

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THOMAS M BRUNNER (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • THOMAS M BRUNNER (President & CEO): $305,702 total reported compensation
  • NANCY GRAYDON (E.D. DEVEL. & COO): $294,466 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW JACKSON (DIR. COMMUNICATION): $172,699 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Cure Glaucoma and restore vision through innovative research.

What it reported doing in 2024

Glaucoma Research Foundations mission is to cure glaucoma and restore vision through innovative research and to provide patient education and awareness about glaucoma. Our multiyear Catalyst for a Cure (CFC) collaborative research teams have helped to redefine glaucoma as a neurodegenerative disease, identified novel biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, and discovered new therapies that are in early clinical trials and could be available for patients in the next few years. Our most recent CFC teams are working to cure glaucoma and restore lost vision through stem cells and the latest biomedical research discoveries. Our one-year Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research bring new ideas and investigators to glaucoma research. Scientists who received these grants in the past have become department chairs and leading glaucoma researchers helping to bring new diagnostics and treatments to glaucoma patients. Glaucoma Research Foundation also provides hope for glaucoma patients, families, and caregivers through our authoritative free booklet, Understanding and Living with Glaucoma, our newsletter Gleams with the latest information on new treatments and research, and our annual Glaucoma Patient Summit where patients, caregivers, doctors and scientists meet in person to learn the latest developments and share information about living with glaucoma. Learn more at: www.glaucoma.org

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.6%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 84.2%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 10.2%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.82; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.6% of revenue deployed · 84.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $306K · 21 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $377K reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 20 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.