Kansas City Free Eye Clinic

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270704299
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2015
Location
Kansas City, MO, US
Phone
8162986185
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Ambulatory Health Center, Community Clinic

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$162,888
Expenses
$213,198
Assets
$245,155
Liabilities
$4,607

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kaitlin Dempsey (Executive Director 5.5.25-12.31.25)
  • Birju Solanki (Executive Director 1.1.25-1.17.25)
  • John Burton (Board President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Kaitlin Dempsey (Executive Director 5.5.25-12.31.25): $56,114 total reported compensation
  • Birju Solanki (Executive Director 1.1.25-1.17.25): $20,829 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To ensure that everyone has access to quality eye care, regardless of their financial situation.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, KCFEC experienced a year of growth and preparation for our biggest year ever. In 2025, KCFEC hired a new Executive Director who brings over 10 years of experience working with our service population and right in our clinic's neighborhood. A new Program and Clinic Manager was hired in June; she brings an MSW and 5 years in domestic violence and animal welfare services. With these leadership changes, KCFEC reduced barriers to service by removing the pre-application process, removing verification and hosting more clinics around the city than ever before - 30 clinics at our physical clinic, 14 off-site clinics, 17 screening events and 45 order/pick-up days. In 2025, KCFEC provided 459 eye exams, and 622 pairs of glasses. The KCFEC team prepared for 2026: 1000 patients by increasing program partnerships and growing our current relationship with the Kansas City Public Library to bring vision care directly into the community. Volunteers provided 521.5 hours of service and $21,403 of economic impact.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.7%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 42.3%; rating input score 42
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -30.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.15; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 36.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 55.7% of revenue deployed · 42.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $90K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $56K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.