Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 136120440
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-PF 2012
- Location
- Mt Kisco, NY, USA
- Phone
- 9145177570
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Eye Diseases, Blindness and Vision Impairments
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,619,997
- Expenses
- $932,284
- Assets
- $14,842,454
- Liabilities
- $498,596
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SOJA ORLOWSKI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- DIANNA M NAGHIZADEH (GRANT DIRECTOR): $113,762 total reported compensation
- SOJA ORLOWSKI (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $37,866 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
See schedule oreader's digest partners for sight foundation is dedicated to fostering the independence of people who are blind and visually impaired. We believe in an accessible and inclusive world where people who are blind and visually impaired have the tools, resources, and opportunity to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Through our support of non-profit organizations that share this philosophy, we are making the world more accessible to navigate for thousands of people every day.
What it reported doing in 2024
Reader's digest partners for sight foundation provides valuable financial assistance to organizations that directly support individuals who are blind or visually impaired. This crucial aid empowers these organizations to cater to people of all ages and diverse stages of vision loss by offering comprehensive training in essential skills like daily activities, orientation and mobility training, assistive technology, guide dog usage, low vision rehabilitation, literacy, and braille. Moreover, the foundation extends its generous support to organizations offering career development, vocational training, recreational activities, and youth transitioning programs for blind and visually impaired persons. Rdpfs also lends a helping hand by engaging in outreach to low-vision organizations.rdpfs has a thorough grant proposal and outcome evaluation process, which helps ensure the success of the funded programs. In fiscal year 2025, rdpfs approved 6 grants to key organizations across the united states in the first half of the year before pausing to re-evaluate grantmaking strategy. Grant monies were designated for the following programs: launch an assessment protocol for cerebral cortical visual impairment, provide training workshops and raise public awareness on cvi. Support a national recruitment effort to connect potential candidates to schools offering degrees/ certification programs for new teachers of the visually impaired. Create training workshops for utilizing the microsoft seeing ai application for both blind and low vision users on both apple and android phones. Launch an innovative group adaptive living residential training program for the underserved 55+ adult population to address long waitlists for individual rehabilitation services in this fast growing segment. Develop a training program to provide a clear path for career advancement within in the it service industry through additional certification. Modernization of a recording studio to produce higher-quality materials for individuals who are blind, have low vision, or are print-disabled. Collectively, these programs reach thousands of blind and visually impaired individuals nationwide each year.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Investment-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 60% for direct work, and 40% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 97.3%; rating input score 97
- Program expense ratio: 75.1%; rating input score 75
- 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; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 42.5%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.92; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 16.3%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 97.3% of revenue deployed · 75.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $701K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 11 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $252K reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 27 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 6 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.